oakley press_02.25.11

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2A | THEPRESS.NET FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Ranked in the Top 5% of Hospitals NationwideThe Quality Care you Need . . . Close to Home.

925-779-7200www.sutterdelta.org

Scan this QR Code with your mobile phone.

(Left) Darrius Johnson, Emergency R.N.

(Middle) Holly Dean-Pease, Emergency R.N.

(Right) Dr. Sanjay Ray, Medical Director, ICU/CCU

FEBRUARY 25, 2011 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 3A

1300 Central Blvd. BrentwoodLori Abreu(925) 216-6317Owner/Broker www.DeltaRanches.com

Cerelle Carstairs(925) 382-4307

Real Estate Agent

Gated community. End unit with 3 bdrms, 2.5 ba. and 1400sf. No rear neighbors, kitchen opens to dining area. Patio area.

$170,000

336 Jefferson Drive, Brentwood2 bdrm 2 ba, 1245 sf condo on second fl oor with balcony. Granite kitchen counters and ss ap-pliances. Hardwood fl oor in living area with fi replace. Carpet in bdrms. $185,000

408 Caliente Drive, San Leandro

Three bdrm, 2.5 baths, 1483 sf townhouse behind security gate with community pool and spa. Kitchen has white appli-ances and opens to familyroom. Nds a little tlc. No rear neighbors. $170,000

354 Jefferson Drive, BrentwoodUpper unit with balcony. Three bdrms., 2 ba., 1060 sf with large master bdrm. Convenient to freeway for commute.

$180,000

14443 Doolittle Dr., San Leandro

This is a 3 bdrm, 2 bath 1265 sf home and lot size 6500 sf. Cute home located on a court with cathedral ceilings, fi replace in family room, new garage door, and walking distance to shopping. $139,900

3308 Streamwood Court, Antioch

Upstairs 1 bdrm, 1 ba, 646 sf unit with balcony for enter-taining. Condo has granite counters in kitchen and bath-room. Tile fl ooring in bathroom. $72,500

4081 Clayton Road #222, Concord

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Beautiful lower unit with no rear neigh-bors. Two bdrms, 2 ba., 1043 sf condo with new carpet and upgrades. Laminate fl ooring, covered patio area, great location close to 580 and 680. $258,000

7765 Canyon Meadows Cir #E, Pleasanton

2 bdrm 1 bath 918 sf home with lots of large trees seeks new owner. Nice curb appeal, large lot, lots of op-portunity. Laminate fl ooring and carpet. $84,000

2514 W Monterey Ave., Stockton

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An Antioch man faces homicide charges after allegedly killing his 2-month-old son by punching him in the face.

Sigifredo Lua, 23, was arrested on Feb. 15 after confessing to hitting the boy, according to Antioch Police Lt. Diane Aguinaga. The child, who sustained mul-tiple fractures, a lacerated liver and bleed-ing on the brain, died Friday at Childrens Hospital in Oakland after he was declared brain dead and taken off life support.

According to reports, Lua has a his-tory of domestic violence. He was arrest-ed for abusing his older son in 2009 when that boy was also about 2 months old. As a result of the investigation into last weeks incident, Lua has also been charged with corporal injury to a spouse for allegedly assaulting his wife on Feb. 7.

According to a press release from Aguinaga, doctors at Sutter Delta Memo-rial Hospital contacted police at 8:58 p.m. last Tuesday about a badly injured child brought to the emergency room. The baby was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital, and doctors suspected child abuse.

Offi cers discovered that Lua had been taking care of the boy and his sibling on the 700 block of O Street while his wife was at work. Lua called his wife to tell her

that the baby was injured, and she called 911.

Police said Luas initial statements didnt match up with the injuries the boy suffered, and that he later confessed to punching him in the face. Lua was arrest-ed and sent to Contra Costa County jail in Martinez, where he remains in custody on $1.1 million bail.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.

Father held for killing infant son

LUA

Residents looking to get a little exercise this weekend while benefi ting a worthwhile cause are invited to celebrate the grand open-ing of the East County Veter-ans Peer to Peer Resource and Recreation Center on Satur-day, Feb. 26 in Pittsburg.

The Warrior Walk, spon-sored by East County Military Families and Friends, kicks off with reg-istration at 9 a.m. at the new center, 520 Garcia Ave. All proceeds from the event,

including donations, benefi t combat vet-erans and military families.

Walkers contributing $50 or more will receive a free T-shirt. Partici-pants will walk from the peer resource cen-

ter and take the sidewalk around the city block

(Harbor, Leland, Rail-road, Bliss and back to the center).

For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call 925-642-7537.

Warrior Walk Saturday

In response to questions about volunteerism in Antioch, the budget, the school district and other con-cerns, the city has planned a Quality of Life forum to discuss these top-

ics on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon at Deer Valley High School, 4700 Lone Tree Way. This is the first such forum since Antioch hosted one on April 4, 2009.

Antioch holds forum on Quality of Life

East County residents who need help with a problem involving a state agency or have an opinion to offer on legislation that affects their commu-nity can take advantage of a unique opportunity: a personal meeting with

State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier on Satur-day, Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, 8440 Brentwood Boulevard, Suite C. No appointment is necessary. For more in-formation, call 925-942-6082.

Senator in Brentwood

4A | THEPRESS.NET COMMUNITY FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Ambitious kid dances her way to Big Apple

While summer vacation is months away, Brentwoods Jasmine Scott has already made plans. The Holy Rosary School sixth-grader will travel to New York for two weeks in June to take part in a intensive summer program at Joffrey School of Ballet.

Jasmine, 12, fi rst learned about the program last year, but was too young to audition. This year, however, she met the minimum age requirement to try out but she wasnt auditioning for a spot in the program.

I went to the San Francisco audition for the experience, Jasmine said. I wanted to get an idea of what the process is like so that Id have a better chance of getting in next year. But when I heard the news, I was pleasantly surprised. Im really excited.

Jasmine approached the auditions nonchalantly and didnt even tell her friends or ballet teacher Nina Koch about her plans to try out. Koch, who has been working with Jasmine for three years at East County Performing Arts in Brentwood, said Jasmines fearlessness has inspired other students to dream big and challenge themselves.

Shes worked so hard. Were all so happy for her, Koch said. Shes an excellent role model to her peers. It took a lot of guts for her to audition at 12 years old and then to go all the way across the country on her own. Her determination is a good source of motivation for the other students. All of the students, those younger and older, are inspired by her enthusiasm for dance.

Jasmine takes four ballet classes per week along

with jazz, tap and contemporary dance classes at East County Performing Arts. Koch said Jasmine would probably take more classes, but can only fi t so many courses into her schedule. Since joining the Brentwood dance school, Jasmine annually performs in The Nutcracker, taking the lead role of Clara two years ago. Koch said Jasmines work ethic and tenacity to learn makes her an ideal student and a joy to work with. She believes that if Jasmine maintains the same attitude, shell go on to do great things in the dance community.

But Jasmine has other plans. When she grows up, shed like to be a doctor a neurologist, to be precise. Her high aspirations are no surprise to mother Natalie, who has watched her daughter blossom into a precocious young woman who manages to get straight As in school and still has time for community service programs organized through her Girl Scout troop.

When she heard that her daughter had entered the Joffrey program, Natalie was shocked. But as Jasmine clearly displays a natural ability for ballet, Natalie has come to see that the move makes perfect sense.

When she was two, she came to me and said she wanted to dance, so I enrolled her in a class, Natalie said. She got hooked. No one else in the family has professional dance skills, but Jasmine exudes this light when shes on stage. Dance is her passion, and Ive always encouraged that. Jasmine is one in a set of triplets, and Ive always encouraged them to go after their own dreams and fi nd what makes them happy. And for Jasmine, its dance.

by Samie HartleyStaff Writer

see Dancing page 20AJasmine Scott, 12, will travel to New York this summer to attend an intensive program at the prestigious Joffrey School of Ballet.

Photo by Janell Gruner


The Brentwood Advisory Neighborhood committee (BANC) this week announced Home of the Month program winners for the holiday season. First, above left, was the home of Zachary Szopinski on Pescara Boulevard, which got the nod for the best Halloween decorations. Zachary has been doing all the Halloween and Christmas decorating for his family for the past seven years. He started the rst week of October to nish in time for all the ghouls and goblins. Hes done such an amazing job that some of the adults were afraid to set foot on the porch. We all see a future for him in cinematic special effects. When it came to Christmas decorations, there was no topping Lawrence Botelhos handiwork on Kayla Place. The decorations were tastefully designed, masterfully executed and, according to the homeowner, took 52 hours to complete a literally shining example of the Christmas spirit.

BANCs Homes of the Seasons


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SHORT SALE/LOAN MOD SEMINARI will be giving a free seminar on

March 6th at 9:45 a.m. that all are invited to. I will be covering a broad range of topics including: Discussion of how loan mods, short sales and foreclosures work, who is a good candidate for each, impact on your credit score, can your lender pur-sue you after, will you owe tax on forgiv-en debt, how to rebuild your credit score after one of the above and a discussion of many of the various government loan mod and short sale programs available. Then I will wrap up with my prediction for where the market will go from here.

Obviously, I have a lot to cover, so I will talk fast. My talk will take about 45-50 minutes, but I always leave time at the end for questions and answers from the group. Plus I will hang out after to try to answer as many individual questions as I can. This is not a sales-pitch for any particular course of action. While doing a short sale is an option for some people, many times my advice is to try something else first, and only look at short sale as a

last resort. Im just finding there is a lot of confusion out there in the marketplace right now on these topics. So if I can help clear some of the basics for you, Ill be satisfied.

We are limited on space, so you must RSVP through me to make sure you reserve a spot. When you RSVP, Ill tell you where the seminar will be held. It will NOT be held at my office, so if you show up at my office on March 6th, you will be disappointed! You can call me at the number below, or email me at [email protected] to RSVP. I will be doing another of these seminars again in a few months, so if you cant make this one, email me anyways if you would like me to notify you when the next one gets scheduled.

If you have questions on this or any other real estate topic, call me at (925) 240-MOVE (6683). To search the MLS for free and view virtual tours of homes for sale, go to: www.SharpHomesOnline.com. Sharp Realty

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Brentwood author Digs a mystery

A mysterious woven metal artifact is found at a paleontological dig in Africa. Mystifi ed experts, confounded by the im-possible timeline they get from traditional dating methods, call upon a 19-year-old with a unique tal-ent. His gift is also his curse: Whenever he touches an object, hes fl ooded with the thoughts and feelings of those who touched it before him. Its a talent many covet, some fear, and almost no one understands.

In his fi rst book, The Dig, author Michael Siemsen chronicles the ad-ventures of Matthew Turner. Exploited as a child and torment-ed by the unpleasant experiences imprint-ed on him from the items he has read, Matthew agrees to travel from New York to the forests of Kenya. There, threatened by unknown enemies and helped by a beautiful but prickly ally who begins to

understand his strange ability, he journeys back in geological time to make a discov-ery so shocking that it forces us to rewrite

all human history.Siemsen, the sec-

ond son of a Vietnam veteran turned po-liceman, grew up in Venice, Calif. Initially focusing on perform-ing arts, Siemsen at-tended the prestigious Alexander Hamilton Academy in Los An-geles. After serving in the U.S. Army as a tracked vehicle op-erator, he returned to civilian life and began writing short stories and screen-plays, and directing short fi lms and music videos. He moved to Northern California

in the late 90s and met his future wife, Ana. They live in Brentwood with their three children.

To download a copy of The Dig, or to order it in hard copy, log on to www.barnesandnoble.com.

8A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION FEBRUARY 25, 2011

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Domingo DJ Morales was crowned Mr. Panther during halftime of last weeks Antioch varsity basketball game against Freedom. Morales, one of six nalists for the Homecoming King-like po-sition, plans to study kinesiology at San Francisco State University and ultimately serve as a reman in Chico.

Mr. Panther pride

Photo by Justin Lafferty

The City of Brentwood is currently seeking adults to serve in the volun-teer capacity of Adult Advisor for the Brentwood Youth Commission. Ap-plicants must reside in the city limits of Brentwood. The term length is two years, begin-ning July 1, 2011.

The Brent-wood Youth C o m m i s s i o n is an advisory body to the City Council, dedicated to promoting the youth voice in local govern-ment. Founded in 1999, the Youth Commission is made up of 10 students of diverse back-grounds who exhibit a drive to make the community the best possible place for youth.

Advisors of the Brentwood Youth Commission will experience a unique opportunity to work with students from all Brentwood middle and high schools, as well as city leaders and staff, and implement policies and pro-

grams that positively impact the youth of the community. Advisors will men-tor the students as they work with them on subcommittees, special projects and meetings, and share their life experi-ences with commissioners.

A p p l i c a -tions are avail-able at the City of Brent-wood Parks and Recre-ation Depart-ment offi ce or online at www.ci.brentwood.ca.us (click on the link for Youth Commission).

Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 15 to the City of Brentwood Parks and Recreation De-partment. Applicants are encouraged to observe a Youth Commission meeting at 7 p.m. on either March 2 or April 12 in the City of Brentwood Council Cham-bers, 101 B Sand Creek Road.

For additional information, call the City of Brentwood Parks & Recre-ation Department at 925-516-5444.

Youth Commissionseeks adult advisors

FEBRUARY 25, 2011 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 9A

Antioch Brentwood Clayton Valley Concord RichmondYes. You can join. (800) 877-8328

For a complete list of branch locations or to join online, visit www.traviscu.org

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Open a Roth IRAfor as little

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NCUAYour savings federally insured to at least $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. *Earnings are tax-free if you are 59-1/2 or qualify for an exception de ned by the IRS and the Roth IRA has been funded for at least ve years. There is a 10% penalty for withdrawal of earnings taken before age 59-1/2. Please consult a tax professional. Everyone who lives, works, or attends school in our 12-county area is eligible to join. Certain membership requirements may apply.

Single with income under $105,000 Married with combined income under $167,000 No tax deduction now, but no taxes to pay later

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PAVEMENT RECONSTRUCTIONBeginning March 2011 through July 2011

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For information contact 925-779-7050, Capital Improvements Dept.

The community is invited to help raise money for education by recycling e-waste this Saturday, Feb. 26 at The Streets of Brentwood (parking lot east of REI) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Liberty High School Ed Foun-dation will accept computer monitors, televisions, LCD/LED monitors, plasma TVs, computers, hard drives, computer peripherals, laptops, DVD players, VCRs, printers, scanners, FAX/copy/answer-ing machines, servers, radios, stereos, recorders, phonographs, circuit boards, CD/video/cassettes, CD players, calcula-tors, power supplies, connectors/cables, telecommunications equipment, main frames/peripherals/all consumer electron-ics and minor appliances. Batteries and light bulbs will not be accepted.

E-waste elimination

Pioneer Elementary students, from right, Noah Hannen, Dominic Spratto and Jake Smith, wait for the chance to yell Bingo! at this years Pioneer Bingo Night Fundraiser. The event, which also featured a raf e for prizes such as Teacher Treats and Principal for the Day, was a huge success, raising more than $1,800 for the schools Parents Club.

Bingo boys

Photo courtesy of Kris Simone

Develop a love for fi tness and movement by taking a gymnastics class through the Brentwood Parks and Recreation Department. During the six-week program, the staff from Black Diamond Kids Center will teach children coordination, balance, fl exibility and kinesthetic awareness through group games and an introduction to basic tumbling, trampoline and the balance beam.

Classes are available Thursday afternoons or Saturday mornings for kids 6-12, and Tuesday mornings for kids 3-5 and their parents. Classes begin the week of March 14 and meet at the Black Diamond Kids Center, 2015 Elkins Way. To register, call the Brentwood Parks and Recreation Department at 925-516-5444 or visit www.ci.brentwood.ca.us.

Gymnastics for kids of all ages

10A | THEPRESS.NET EDUCATION FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Kathy Green, head librarian at Deer Valley High School, stands with AUSD Trustee Walter Ruehlig at the County Library Com-mission meeting before a portion of 1,600 gently used books are donated to the school district by the Friends of the Lafayette Library.

Book bonanza

Photo by Michelle Weber

Jackson Schleders project The Eco-bottle took best of show honors at Deer Valley High Schools inaugural Science Fair, sponsored by the Deer Valley Sci-ence Research Academy. The Ecobottle is an environmentally friendly 500mL water bottle made of 75 percent plastic, and its unique shape makes it easy to stack for

bulk shipping. Science Fair contestants will be going on to compete in the county Science Fair at Los Medanos College in April. Other winners include Hannah Bar-tlebaugh Behavioral; Justin Sin, Richard Chavez and Obioma Onuoha Biology; Jackson Schleder Engineering and Math; and Yasamin Haider Physical.

Ingenious inventionInventor and Deer Valley High School student Jackson Schleder shows off his Ecobottle at his schools Science Fair.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Schleder

FEBRUARY 25, 2011 EDUCATION THEPRESS.NET | 11A

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Antioch: The Orchard at Slatten Ranch (925) 779-1844

Trevors Weekly Mortgage MattersBy Trevor Frey

Knowledge is Power

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Th ey say knowledge is power, so in a time like this how else is an under water or up-side down homeowner supposed to feel but powerless? Th eir bank has all of the answers about their mortgage, and their options, but will not share any of this knowledge with the homeowner. Th e bank is following their own Golden Rule he who has the gold makes the rules versus that found to be the modern concept of human rights: one should treat oth-ers as one would like others to treat one-self.

Following the latter of those Golden Rules and attempting to shift some of this power see knowledge back onto the side of the homeowner, Fannie Mae has launched an entirely new website geared towards consumer education. Th e new website www.knowyouroptions.com, features an interactive simu-lator allowing the individual to interact, or role play with the characters found on the site. Each of the three characters are at diff erent stages of distress: Richard Lane is delinquent and facing foreclosure; Jackie Williams is chronically late with her payment and is letting other bills slide to keep up and Miguel Gonzalez is current on his mortgage but concerned about his fi nancial situation. It is a grown-up, modern, and much more serious version of a choose your own ending storybook that many of us grew up on.

Th e site also features links to free coun-seling services approved by the U.S. Depart-ment of Housing and Urban Development, otherwise known as HUD, as well as HUDs Hope for Homeowners program. It has use-ful forms for distressed homeowners such as a

contact log to keep track of the conversations had with your bank, as well as log the people you actually speak with.

Overall, the site does its best to bring knowledge to the consumer and ensure they can come to an educated decision about the number one fi nancial investment theyve made in their lifetime their home. According to Fannie Mae spokesman Jeff Hayward, With a variety of fi nancial hardships and other circumstances aff ecting homeowners across the country, making educated decisions is more important than ever. It is a travesty when people lose their homes because they dont know or understand their options.

Im not sure if its the interactive simula-tor, the resourceful links, the tools off ered at www.knowyouroptions.com, or all three combined, but foreclosures in the Bay Area have been down since the site has been up. According to DataQuick a San Diego based information fi rm default notices in the 12 bay area counties were down 32.5% during the fi nal quarter of 2010 when compared to those of 2009. Th ere is still an abnormally high level of defaults, but with knowledge comes power, and with power, hopefully, will come less defaults and a faster recovery.

If you have any real estate lending related questions or concerns, dont hesitate to write me at [email protected] or call me directly on my cell phone, (925) 726-1444. Im always here to help, my cell phone is always on, and I will be available all weekend!

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Brentwood residents are getting a jump start on the season of spring by decorating the yards of their friends and loved ones with brightly colored pink amingoes. The effort raises funds in sup-port of the Liberty High School Band. From Feb. 25 to March 28, band members will set up a ock of amingos in front yards throughout Brent-wood. Flocks range from $10 for a small ock of 12 amingos to $30 for the largest ock, which includes 60 amingos. For more information, e-mail Liberty Band Director Carey Hurst at [email protected].

Flocking fundraiser

Press file photo

12A | THEPRESS.NET FEBRUARY 25, 2011

OPINIONEDITORIALS, LETTERS & COMMENTARY National

AwardWinning NewspapersHave you got something to say? Visit www.thepress.net and let your thoughts be known.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Press Newspapers are adjudicated in the the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, and the Delta Judicial District

of Contra Costa County.

No part of this publication may be reproduced for commerce or trade without written permission from the publisher.

BRENTWOOD PRESS & PUBLISHING CORPORATIONNational Award Winning Newspapers

Founder & President Jimmy ChamouresPublisher & General Manager Greg Robinson

Executive Editor Rick LemyreProduction Manager & Webmaster Lonnie de Lambert

Business Manager Heather Reid

Main Office / Brentwood248 Oak St. Brentwood, CA 94513

Phone 925-634-1441 Fax 925-634-1975Web site: www.thepress.net

Advertising 925-634-1441, ext. 115Classifieds 925-634-1441, ext. 142

Editorial 925-634-1441, ext. 111Circulation 925-250-1405

Editorial e-mail [email protected]

Small numbers make a big differenceEditor:

Weve seen the news. Pittsburg is seeing 50-year lows in crime. Brentwood re-ported zero homicides last year. Then there is the Antioch story, but no need recount-ing the grim tale. From both ends, housing boom and bust, Antioch suffered a tailspin that will take years of correction. Perhaps its the New Yorker in me that reveled in Rudy Giuliani turning the city around after decades of free-fall. To think, it all started with graffi ti and jaywalking.

Whatever my affl iction of optimism, I hold hopes for Antioch. We boast a new community center, a glistening civic touch-stone. We are awaiting Highway 4 widening and eBART. A ferry may soon grace River-town, making the Martinez-San Francisco commutes a joy and affording a major spark of downtown revitalization. The pioneering Youth Intervention Network is gaining national prominence and results-oriented traction. The school district had a 14-point jump in API scores last year and is trail-blazing a career-themed linked pathways program. The City Council seems to be working well together and is law-enforcement and business friendly.

Best yet, the everyday people are mak-ing a difference. Dennis Jeglum and his volunteer crew are graffi ti-fi ghting tigers. The Neighborhood Cleanup people are magnifi cent; the Take Back Antioch move-ment is a blessing. Margaret Meade, in fact, was right: the most powerful force in the world is a few committed people they can change the world.

Chaos breeds chaos; order breeds order. It doesnt take a lamppost in front of every house to lighten a street. In fact, science tells us that a tiny fraction, about 1 percent, of an iron bars atoms aligning sets in motion the move towards magne-tizing. The same is true of a light source: approximately1 percent of composite photons aligning is enough to signal a laser effect. We dont need everybody on board; its all about critical mass. It wont happen

overnight in Antioch but the momentum is changing, one family, one street, one neighborhood at a time.

Join the people power that is being part of the solution and not the problem. Attend the Quality of Life Forum this Sat-urday, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. at the Deer Valley High School Auditorium. Eighty percent of the topic discussion will center on city issues; 20 percent on school topics.

After all, if New York, a city of 8 mil-lion, can turn around, so can Antioch.

Walter RuehligAntioch

Preposterous propagandaEditor:

On Wednesday morning, Feb. 23, I received a rolled up newspaper. Thinking it was an early edition of the Brentwood Press, I eagerly looked forward to reading the newspaper during breakfast.

To my dismay, said newspaper was actually a right-wing/Tea Party propa-ganda piece.

A front-page article was titled Taking a Stance Should all things be equal? Said article talked about the founding fathers (my fi rst clue this was a Tea Party piece) and how progressives only want socialism for our country.

Said propaganda went on to give examples of equality in American and cited President Lyndon B. Johnsons using his 1964 Civil Rights Amendment to his political advantage.

I was so appalled I lost my appetite for breakfast. I called the number on the front of the newspaper and informed the recording of my name, gave my address and instructed the publisher to never, ever leave his propaganda on my doorstep ever again!

I fi nd it very interesting that Tea Partiers always go back to the Founding Fathers to cite their ignorance of Ameri-can History.

Strict constitutionalists like the Tea Party are clueless that the Constitution was written for and meant only for rich, white landowners. Women had no rights

until the federal government gave them rights in the 19th Amendment; however, some states gave women rights prior.

This means, according to the Tea Partys all-or-nothing thinking, their dar-lings Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann can never be president because women had no rights in 1789, when the Constitution was written.

Additionally, I always fi nd it so ironic that Tea Partiers are so protective of their (socialist) Social Security and unemploy-ment monies.

Tea Partiers you cant have it both ways: Be against Obamacare (mentioned in the article of the newspaper, which was my second clue this was a Tea Party hit piece) while being for and enjoying the benefi ts of Social Security and unemploy-ment benefi ts.

It is my opinion that the Tea Party is a patriarchal-centered extremist moral authoritarian repressive movement.

Those who dont favor the Tea Party Movement are anti-America Marxists Socialists and every other label meant to demean that they can think of.

Im taking stand against this propa-ganda. How about you?

Rick FullerBrentwood

Great music in the neighborhoodEditor:

Sunday afternoon my wife and I attended a digital transmission of a San Francisco Opera Company production of Puccinis Tosca. Checking the opera companys website, balcony tickets for a Sunday afternoon are $25 to $115. The performance we saw was $10 per ticket and was in downtown Antioch! No, it wasnt live, but in many ways it was better than live.

The San Francisco Opera Company, in concert with private theaters around the country, provides Blu-ray media of a past performance. The performance of Tosca that we saw was originally performed in June of 2009. While we watched and listened in Antioch, at the beautifully

restored El Campanil Theatre, others watched at the same time in Rhode Island, Washington and several other states. The digital projection on the large screen, coupled with creative camera angles and close-ups, provided a better view than one would have in a $100 seat in the theater. The sound reproduction was well bal-anced and true to the original. As an added bonus, English translation was provided at the bottom of the screen.

I heartily recommend these perfor-mances to anyone who loves opera or loves good music in general. This is also a won-derful way to introduce kids to the world of opera. The next SF Opera production to be aired at the El Campanil on Second Street in Antioch will be on Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. The opera will be Puccinis La Bohme, perhaps one of the best known and best loved of Giacomo Puccinis work. It is a tragic love story set to memorable music, much of which is already familiar.

If youve not attended either the El Campanil Theatre or great opera perfor-mances, may I suggest you set that Sunday afternoon aside to join your junior high or high school kids for a totally different ex-perience! Youll enjoy it and your kids just might surprise you with their enthusiasm after seeing La Bohme.

A couple hours together and away from the video games is surely worth the $10 per head

Buck ScholdererAntioch

Supporters hit high noteEditor:

The Brentwood Concert Band would like to thank you all for the generous dona-tions to the Bruce Stuart Music Fund. The concert on Jan. 22 was attended by a large and enthusiastic audience. Again, thank you! We look forward to seeing you at our Spring Concert on Saturday, April 30 at 2 p.m. in the Allan E. Jones Performing Arts Center on the Liberty High School campus.

Sue Stuart and Carey HurstConductors, Brentwood Concert Band

City of Brentwood City Manager and City Council City Hall181 Sand Creek Road, Suite LBrentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-516-5440www.ci.brentwood.ca.us

City of Antioch City Manager and City Council City HallThird and H streetsAntioch, CA 94509Phone: 925-779-7000www.ci.antioch.ca.us

City of Oakley City Manager and City Council City Hall3231 Main St.Oakley, CA 94561Phone: 925-625-7000www.ci.oakley.ca.us

Town of Discovery BayTown Manager and Community Services District 1800 Willow Lake RoadDiscovery Bay, CA 94505Phone: 925-634-1131www.todb.ca.gov

County Supervisor, Dist. III Mary N. Piepho181 Sand Creek Road, Suite L.Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925-240-7260 [email protected]

County Supervisor, Dist. VFederal Glover315 E. Leland Ave.Pittsburg, CA 94565Phone: [email protected]

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A sampling of recent law enforcement activity reported by East County police depart-ments.

BRENTWOODFeb. 10, 5:56 p.m. An unidentifi ed person entered a garage on Autumn Valley Way and stole two motorcycles. The vehicles were re-covered by the Antioch Police Department.Feb. 10, 7:06 p.m. A resident of Crescent Drive reported that a fi rearm was missing from his bedroom.Feb. 10, 9:19 p.m. On Richdale Court, a sub-ject was caught consuming alcohol in the presence of children in violation of a child custody order.Feb. 11, 2:28 a.m. An unidentifi ed person forced entry into a classroom on Second Street and attempted to steal computer equipment.Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m. On Brentwood Boulevard at Applewood Common, a subject stopped for vehicle code violations was found to be under the infl uence of a central nervous sys-tem stimulant and driving with a suspended license. He was arrested and taken to the Mar-tinez Detention Facility.Feb. 11, 10:43 p.m. On Sand Creek Road, an unidentifi ed person pointed a fi rearm at an-other subject during a dispute.Feb. 12, 11:01 a.m. On Grant Street at Brent-wood Boulevard, a subject stopped for dis-playing stolen license plates was found to be driving on a suspended license. He was arrest-ed and released on a Notice To Appear.Feb. 12, 11:20 p.m. On Lone Tree Way at Em-pire Avenue, a subject stopped for a vehicle code violation was found to be driving on a license suspended for DUI. He was arrested and released on Notice To Appear.Feb. 13, 10:27 a.m. A subject caught prowling in the backyards of several residences on Mes-quite Court fl ed when police arrived and was apprehended after damaging several fences. He was also found to be under the infl uence of a controlled substance. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.Feb. 14, 1:23 a.m. A subject who rear-ended a vehicle parked on Berry Lane was found to be driving under the infl uence of alcohol. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez De-tention Facility.Feb. 14, 1:04 p.m. Two subjects who attempted to steal merchandise from a business on Lone

Tree Way were detained by loss-prevention personnel and placed under citizens arrest. They were released on Juvenile Affi davits.Feb. 14, 2:23 p.m. A resident of Walnut Bou-levard attempted to burn brush on his prop-erty without a permit.Feb. 14, 3:15 p.m. An unidentifi ed person en-tered a vehicle parked on Shady Willow Lane and stole a CD player and GPS unit.Feb. 14, 9:05 p.m. At a business on Brentwood Boulevard, two unidentifi ed subjects stole cash and a bottle of alcohol at gunpoint.Feb. 14, 11:33 p.m. An unidentifi ed person smashed the window of a vehicle parked on Sand Creek Road and stole currency, an iPod and stereo equipment.Feb. 15, 12:04 a.m. Three unidentifi ed subjects took two large pallets of cardboard from the rear parking lot of a business on Sand Creek Road.Feb. 15, 1:20 a.m. On Sand Creek Way at Linden Street, a passenger in a vehicle whose driver was stopped for a vehicle code violation was found in possession of suspected ecstasy. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.Feb. 15, 2:55 a.m. A subject intending to pick up an arrestee at the Brentwood Police De-partment jail was discovered to have a no cite warrant for his arrest. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.Feb. 15, 1:20 a.m. On Sand Creek Way at Linden Street, a passenger in a vehicle whose driver was stopped for a vehicle code violation was found in possession of suspected ecstasy. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.Feb. 15, 11 a.m. An unidentifi ed person tele-phoned a resident of La Fonte Drive and left a threatening message.Feb. 15, 6:37 p.m. On Brentwood Boulevard, two subjects identifi ed as responsible for an armed robbery were arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.Feb. 15, 8:16 p.m. An unidentifi ed driver side-swiped a vehicle parked on Poe Court and fl ed the scene without leaving contact infor-mation.Feb. 15, 9:53 p.m. A subject who had attempt-ed to steal a bicycle on Summerwood Drive at Sunlight Drive was apprehended and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.Feb. 16, 10 a.m. A resident of Thomas Court

was sent e-mails in violation of a restraining order.Feb. 16, 4:52 p.m. A subject attempting to cash a fraudulent check at a business on Sec-ond Street was arrested and taken to the Mar-tinez Detention Facility.Feb. 17, 7:59 a.m. An unidentifi ed person stole a vehicle parked on Shady Willow Lane.Feb. 17, 10:57 a.m. An unidentifi ed person used the identity of a resident of Brentwood Boulevard to open an account with cable pro-vider.Feb. 17, 11:52 a.m. Damage believed to be bullet holes were found on an unoccupied construction truck in a developing neighbor-hood on Sacred Mountain Lane.Feb. 17, 2:24 p.m. An unidentifi ed person stole jewelry during a party on Pajarito Court.

To view the Brentwood Police Depart-ments public logs on the citys Web site, visit www.ci.brentwood.ca.us/department/pd/re-ports/index.cfm.

OAKLEYFeb. 7 On Bridgehead Road at Main Street, a subject was found in possession of danger-ous drugs.Feb. 7 On Carol Lane at Main Street, a sub-ject was found in violation of probation.Feb. 7 A vehicle accident with injuries oc-curred on the 1100 block of Laurel Road.Feb. 7 A vehicle was towed from the 300 block of Stony Hill Circle.Feb. 7 On Bridgehead Road at Main Street, a subject was arrested for driving under the infl uence of alcohol.Feb. 7 Domestic violence with injury to a spouse occurred on the 5000 block of Mon-tevino Way.Feb. 7 A residence on the 3000 block of An-derson Lane was burglarized.Feb. 7 Credit card fraud was reported on the 100 block of Carol Lane.Feb. 7 A weapon was brought on to school grounds on the 1000 block of Neroly Road.Feb. 8 A subject was found in violation of probation on Empire Avenue at Truman Lane.Feb. 8 A subject was arrested for DUI on East Cypress Road at Main Street.Feb. 8 Domestic battery occurred on the 4300 block of Beechnut Lane.Feb. 8 A residence on the 4000 block of

Chelsea Drive was burglarized.Feb. 8 Grand theft from a building occurred on the 100 block of Carol Lane.Feb. 9 On East Cypress Road at Sellers Av-enue, a subject was caught selling marijuana.Feb. 9 An adult was reported as missing from the 100 block of Brooks Court.Feb. 9 A juvenile was reported as a runaway from the 1800 block of Concannon Drive.Feb. 9 A vehicle was towed from the 200 block of Acorn Court.Feb. 10 A stolen vehicle was recovered on East Cypress Road at Sellers Avenue.Feb. 10 Arrest warrants were served on the 4100 block of Blossom Court and the 5700 block of Bridgehead Road.Feb. 11 A vehicle was stolen from the 2300 block of Kenneth Lane.Feb. 11 Arrest warrants were served on the 4800 block of Teakwood Drive, on East Cy-press Road at Sellers Avenue and on the 1500 block of Port Way.Feb. 11 A hit-and-run incident occurred on the 1600 block of Rio Vista Court.Feb. 11 On El Lago Drive at Live Oak Av-enue, a subject was arrested for DUI.Feb. 11 A subject was found in violation of a custody order on the 200 block of West Ruby Avenue.Feb. 11 On the 400 block of Woodmont Place, a vehicle was burglarized.Feb. 12 A hit-and-run incident occurred on Concannon Drive at Vintage Parkway.Feb. 12 On West Cypress Road at OHara Avenue, on Main Street at Malicoat Avenue, on East Cypress Road at Main Street and on Cloverbrook Avenue at Laurel Road, subjects were arrested for DUI.Feb. 12 Domestic battery occurred on the 4400 block of Fall Lane.Feb. 12 A subject was assaulted with a dead-ly weapon on Cypress Court at West Cypress Road.Feb. 13 A subject was found to be under the infl uence of drugs on Main Street at Teak-wood Drive.Feb. 13 A vehicle accident with injuries oc-curred on Carpenter Road at OHara Av-enue.Feb. 13 An arrest warrant was served on Fourth Street at Main Street.Feb. 13 On Fourth Street at Main Street, a subject was arrested for DUI.

COP LOGSFROM EMERGENCY SERVICES DISPATCH LOGSA subject intending to pick up an arrestee at the Brentwood Police Department jail was discovered to have a no cite warrant for his ar-rest. He was arrested and taken to the Martinez Detention Facility.

Feb. 15, 2:55 a.m., Brentwood


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History Mystery goes farming for answersThis months History Mystery postcard is an

unsent, real photo postcard (RPP), gelatin (silver) print, divided back card featuring a team of four horses pulling what appears to be a grain wagon.

Four men pose atop the crop, and across the image are inscribed the words No. 14 Balfour Guthrie Warehouse Brentwood CAL. There are a few physical clues to help date the card. CAL was the preferred USPO abbreviation for Cali-fornia from 1873 to 1943. USPO approved the use of divided-back cards, which provide a space for both address and message, on March 1, 1907. The postcard stock indicates that the paper is Kodak professional AZO paper, as identifi ed by the stamp box design manufactured from 1904 to 1918. But this is where the trail goes cold.

For this months mystery, readers are asked to identify the men featured in the photograph. They might be the great-grandparents or grand-parents of those still living in the area. The Delta was a major grain growing area in the United States from the 1870s through 1910s, exceeding exports from New Orleans in some years. The warehouse with covered dock (between the two horse teams) is a huge wooden structure. Can anyone shed some light on its location, dimen-sions, years of use, blueprints, or other items of note pertaining to its use?

Also, this card is numbered No. 14, so where are cards 1 through 13? Itinerant pho-tographers with a mobile darkroom wagon were common prior to the affordability and popular-ity of Kodak cameras in the 1910s. The profes-sional photographer would arrive at a location, shoot the image, and print on postcard stock for

instant sale. Many of these postcards found their way to friends and family out of state or abroad. Photo postcards provided tangible evidence that the emigrant family was healthy, alive and pros-perous in California.

The prize for information regarding the iden-tifi cation of the men is a yearlong membership in the Contra Costa County Farm Bureau. E-mail your discoveries to Carol Jensen at [email protected].

Contributed by Carol Jensen


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Congregation Bnai Torah of the East Bay was one of only 20 Reform congregations in North America selected to receive an Incuba-tor Grant from the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) to implement a new program to further engage current members and attract new mem-bers as well as past members. Nearly 170 con-gregations applied for the grant.

The grant will support the Cantor-in-Residence Enrichment Program, enabling Congregation Bnai Torah to hire a cantor to conduct a Learners Service four times during the year. Each Learners Service will emphasize a particular portion of the service along with new songs. The cantor will lead the congrega-tion as well as teach participants the melodies and the meanings to each of the prayers. After each Learners Service, the cantor will record what the songs taught, and copies of the CD will be sent to each member family and offered to potential members and friends through the congregations website.

Congregation Bnai Torahs Ritual Com-mittee, Rabbi Ira Book and Lay-leader David Mata will work together to institute the learned prayers, melodies and songs into weekly servic-es throughout the year to build the congrega-tions ritual capacity on an ongoing basis, and support efforts to improve service participation and increase membership.

The URJ will collect information from all grantees and share noteworthy practices with member congregations at the 2011 URJ Bienni-al Convention in Maryland in December. We

hope these grants will help member congrega-tions jump-start new efforts to actively engage people in synagogue life, said URJ President Eric H. Yoffi e.About Congregation Bnai Torah

Congregation Bnai Torah provides a fo-rum for worshiping God in the traditions of Reform Judaism. The congregation seeks to pro-vide an environment that includes spiritual, edu-cational, social and celebratory aspects of Jewish life and a strong sense of Jewish community. In-dividuals and families are invited to join in cel-ebrating, studying and worshiping as Jews. All are welcome to participate in Shabbat services, holiday celebrations and social events. For more information, visit www.bnaitoraheastbay.org.About Union for Reform Judaism

The Union for Reform Judaism provides vision, direction and leadership to Reform Jews and congregations on spiritual, ethical, social justice and management issues, offering programming support to Reform Jewish con-gregations and strengthening individual Jewish identity and growth.

As a member of the World Union for Pro-gressive Judaism, the Union connects Reform Jews in North America with Liberal/Progressive/Reform congregations around the globe. The Union also represents Reform congregations in regional, North American and international organizations including the Conference of Presi-dents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. For more information about URJ, visit www.urj.org.

Bnai Torah receives grant for innovation


An inside look at city government

The Brentwood City Council cham-bers buzzed with youthful energy this week as high school students were invited to take an inside peek at how the city functions.

As part of the fourth annual Youth in Government program, co-sponsored by the Brentwood Lions Club, 31 students from Liberty and Heritage high schools spent a day away from the classroom to learn the nuts and bolts of what makes Brentwood run smoothly. Each student was paired with a city staff member or Brentwood council member, and spent an afternoon learning what it takes to run a municipality properly.

According to Lions Club event coor-dinator Fred Ginsler, the Youth in Govern-ment program offers a unique opportunity for high school students to broaden their horizons and give them a better under-standing a civic government.

Students dont learn much about how governments operate on a local lev-el, Ginsler said. They learn about state and federal governments, but there isnt a lot of instruction about how their home-town works. The Lions Club tries to iden-tify needs within the community, and we thought this would be a benefi cial program for our youngest residents.

Prior to meeting with their mentors, the students took a tour of Brentwood, go-ing behind the scenes at the Brentwood Po-lice Department and the Brentwood Public Works Wastewater Treatment Plan.

From what I saw today, I might ac-tually pursue a career in city government, said Heritage student Gio Gajudo, who shadowed Brentwood Street Manager Jim Gallegos and got to see fi rsthand how city streets are maintained and repaired. It seems like a great way to give back to the community.

Heritage government teacher Mi-chelle Lynch believes the Youth in Govern-ment program allows students to further understand government procedures while gaining an appreciation of how their city operates.

As an educator, I believe Youth in Government is an important opportunity

for students to see not only how local gov-ernment is structured and run, but various departments and what they do to keep Brentwood a safe and growing city, Lynch said. Since the California State Standards set for 12th-grade American Government focus on the federal government, programs like Youth in Government are very impor-tant in teaching students about local gov-ernments and how they work and that it is an accessible form of government.

Likewise, Liberty government teacher Gina Capelli said the program allows stu-dents to realize that the people running the city are regular people, and to learn what it means to be passionate about the community. While the students might not pursue a career in local government, said Capelli, the Youth in Government oppor-tunity gives them a better understanding of how city staff plays an essential role in their lives.

Councilman Eric Stonebarger found it fulfi lling to meet the students and see them interact with city staff. This pro-gram allows us to get to know students from Heritage and Liberty, said Stone-barger at Tuesdays council meeting, at which the students sat with their mentors to get a better view of how meetings work. The goals they have now are far beyond what I had when I was their age, and its neat to see.

For Heritage student Matthew Strauss, the program has solidifi ed his desire to pur-sue a career in government. Strauss, chair-man of the citys youth commission, shad-owed City Attorney Damien Brower to get a better idea of the range of opportunities available in the legal fi eld. Based on his experiences Tuesday, hes looking forward to demonstrating what he learned at next weeks mock council session, in which the students will run their own meeting to put their newly acquired knowledge to use.

While Im not entirely sure of the specifi c career path yet, Strauss said, through my work with the City of Brent-wood and programs like Youth in Govern-ment, I know that civic service is where I belong and where I can use my leadership characteristics and education to make a positive impact on society.


Brentwood Councilman Steve

Barr and Liberty student Leo Colbert

discuss the ins and outs of local

government during the fourth annual

Youth in Government program.

Photo by Samie Hartley

by Samie HartleyStaff Writer

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Allergy season alertSpringtime in East County, despite its

beauty, has its downside allergy season. Those itchy, runny eyes can feel just awful. At the fi rst twinge, I know Im in for an emotion-al four-month meltdown.

Living in this area is a blessing. The beau-tiful trees and warm breezes coupled with the blossoming fruit is candy for the eyes and nose. Its also a warning for those of us who suffer from hay fever or seasonal allergies.

A friend in Arizona sent me a product called Ultra Plan AL-10 Plus. Its a natural combination of grape seed and butterbur mixed with ingredients such as echinacea, parsley, mullein and goldenseal, and can help build up the immune system before the allergy season starts. I tried it last year, and my aller-gies were at least 70 percent less awful than the year before.

I checked with my doctor and was as-sured it was safe, but you should check with yours as well. I had a hard time fi nding the product here in California but was able to fi nd it online.

According to my doctor, over-the-coun-ter allergy relief products have pretty much the same effect as prescription allergy medi-cines, and each affect various symptoms.

Antihistamines such as Chlortrimeton, Claritin, Alvavert and Zyrtec are designed for itchy scratchy throat, runny itchy nose and itchy eyes. Theyre not decongestants and wont relieve a stuffy nose. On the other hand, decongestants such as Sudafed dont relieve

the other symptoms.The few products that do all of the above

are Dimetapp cold and allergy liquid and Claritin D, also known as Loratadine D. Al-ways check with the pharmacist to ensure safe interaction with other medications and con-fi rm whats best for your symptoms.

Saline solution is a nose spray that cleanses the nostrils and works very well to clear out pollens that attach on the fi ne hairs in your nose that can cause sneezing and itchi-ness. Eye drops are also a great way to clean and soothe the eyes.

Some tips for surviving allergy season: Avoid going outside on high-risk days. Close your windows and doors and run your air conditioner or air purifi er. Wash and groom your animals. Avoid exposure to smoke, sprays, room de-odorizers and other irritating fragrances. Avoid gardening and fresh-cut grass. Keep your home dust free. Wash off and change your clothes after be-ing outside. Use saline nasal spray to clear out the pol-len.

A severe allergy attack can lead to a cold or even bronchitis, so be aware of your symp-toms, consult your doctor or pharmacist and choose a remedy that allows you to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. Stay healthy!

Marla Luckhardt is a Discovery Bay resident and member of the East Contra Costa Senior Coalition. She works with several local senior care and advocacy groups. To contact her, e-mail [email protected].

by Marla Luckhardt

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John Muir Health Fair this weekendJohn Muir Medical Center specialists,

pediatricians and local health and wellness providers will be on hand at the John Muir Health Festival this Saturday, Feb. 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Outpatient Center at 2400 Balfour Road.

The free, indoor event offers a series of half-hour talks on a variety of subjects and includes helpful health information, free health screenings and healthy living activi-ties. In addition to the pediatric staff, other John Muir Health physicians will be on hand to host informative chats about con-troversial weight loss, talking to your kids, and the right type of preventive screenings.

The event also features live music, fun activi-ties for the kids and free healthy treats.

Children are invited to bring their teddy bears in for a check-up by John Muir pedia-trians, and the fi rst 200 children (10 and un-der) will receive a free teddy bear and photo.

Appointments for health screenings such as cholesterol, glucose and memory screening can be made by calling 925-308-8050.

The half-hour talks from John Muir Health Specialists will be held as follows:

9-9:30 a.m.: Medicare Basics Scan Health Plan.

9:30-10 a.m.: Breast Cancer Screening

Guidelines: Current Recommendation by Dr. Deborah Kerlin.

10-10:30 a.m.: Screening for Prostate Cancer The Controversy Continues by Dr. Kenneth Hsiao.

10:30-11 a.m.: Weight Loss Surgery: Is it Right For You? by R.N. Anne Timber-lake.

11-11:30 a.m.: How To Talk to Your Kids So They Will Listen by Gabriel Welcher of the Parent Project.

11:30 a.m.-noon: Preventing Heart Disease by Dr. Kristen Batten.

For more information, call 925-308-8050.

Contra Costa County is gearing up for a new law that requires students this fall to show proof they are protected against whooping cough before stepping foot in a classroom.

The law requires all seventh- through 12th-grade students in public and private schools to show proof they received a Tdap booster, which includes protection from tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. Contra Costa health offi cials are urg-ing parents and students to act now and avoid packed doctors offi ces in the days before school begins.

Contra Costa Health Services Director Dr. William Walker said a statewide outbreak of whooping cough cases has occurred over the past year. Cases in Contra Costa rose from just under 20 in 2009 to more than 200 last year. Whooping cough is an upper respiratory ill-ness that causes severe cold-like symptoms for older children and adults and can be fatal in in-fants. Last year, 10 infants in California died of whooping cough.

Immunization Coordinator Erika Jenssen said people should fi rst go to their health pro-vider to get the vaccine. People without insur-ance should check www.cchealth.org for a list of Public Health Immunization clinics, where the vaccine is offered for a low fee, which can be waived. Vaccines are also available at some grocery stores and pharmacies.

For more information, visit www.cchealth.org or call Kate Fowlie at 925-250-2371.


Koch said the Joffrey School of Ballet is one of the most prestigious schools in the country, and expects Jasmine will learn a lot in her two-week program, which accepts dancers between the ages of 12 and 21. Students of the program will get the opportunity to work with master teachers from around the world.

While in New York, Jasmine will be in the company of a full-time chaperone, but

the prospect of sending her baby across the country is something Natalie is still coming to terms with.

Even if we were sending her to a camp in Santa Cruz, Id be nervous, Natalie said. Shell be living in an apartment with other girls her age, taking the subway its all so crazy. I cant believe it. Im a mom. I cant help but be nervous for her, but this is a wonderful opportunity, and Im so excited for her.


Dancer from page 4A

Forecasters say there might be snow at sea level this weekend, which seems a strange time for these almond trees to put on their springtime regalia. Angelo Garcia, Jr. made this picture last week-end on an excursion that netted shots of owers bursting forth in one direction, and the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Diablo in the other.

The trees are nuts

Photo by Angelo Garcia, Jr.

An Antioch residents unit in Iraq is among those receiving training aimed at stemming the record number of suicides by American troops. Last year, for the second year in a row, the U.S. military lost more troops to suicide than to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In response, the Army is ramping up anti-suicide education efforts. In January, soldiers with the headquarters company of the 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion completed Applied Suicide Inter-vention Skills Training at Contingency Op-erating Base Adder, Iraq.

The training goes beyond the suicide prevention training all soldiers receive by providing a structured model to work with in achieving a successful intervention process,

said Staff Sgt. Rudolph Juarez, an Antioch resident and motor pool non-commissioned offi cer with the 749th.

Juarez, on his second deployment, has been with the 749th for three years. He said the training is valuable for leaders at all levels and considers it a privilege to be able to get this training in a war zone.

The training covers the entire process of how to prevent suicide by studying the ac-tions, thoughts, feelings, events and physical aspects that can contribute to a soldiers sui-cidal thoughts.

Spc. Tommy Williams, a signal support systems specialist with the 749th CSSB, also attended the training. I liked the role-play-ing in the class, where we role-played differ-ent scenarios, he said. I dont wish for any-one to be in this situation, but Im now more comfortable in being able to help soldiers through this diffi cult period in their lives.

Soldiers study suicide prevention in Iraqby Staff Sgt. Arthur Taradejna

U.S. Army

Staff Sgt. Rudolph Juarez of Antioch stud-ies Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training recently at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Arthur Taradejna

22A | THEPRESS.NET SPORTS FEBRUARY 25, 2011

Lions season ends in playoff heartbreak

Despite laying claim to the games two top scorers, Liberty Highs girls basketball team ended its season Tuesday in a 50-49 fi rst-round loss to the visiting Foothill Falcons in the North Coast Section playoffs.

Junior center Bernadette Fong scored 23 and sophomore forward Gabrielle Freeman 12 to lead the Liberty attack. Junior point guard Maddie Craig led Foothill in scoring with 10.

Leading by one point with nine seconds remaining in the game, the Falcons inbound-ed the ball. Their guards moved the ball around, avoiding the Liberty players trying to foul. Eventually the foul was committed but with just over three seconds on the clock. Foothill junior guard Megan Clark missed the front end of one-in-one free throws and Fong grabbed the rebound, but Liberty had no timeouts left. When Fongs outlet pass to Freeman was defl ected, the game was over.

It was a tough loss, said head coach Debbi Weil. It was a tough loss because the kids played so hard all season and I dont think we played to our full potential tonight. But overall, we have eight kids coming back, but I will really miss the seniors.

Tuesdays game was the last game at Liberty for seniors Gabby Worley, Saman-tha Simpkins, Ally Mackenzie and an injured Jessi Zahn.

While the game was close all the way

through, the Lions led for most of the contest. Foothill enjoyed a two-point lead after three quarters but Liberty quickly got that back and led by as many as fi ve in the fi nal quarter. The difference in the game came down to bal-ance. Only four Lions put points on the board compared to the Falcons 10.

Libertys season ends with a record of 16-10, 6-4 in Bay Valley Athletic League play. After going 2-3 in the fi rst half of league play, the Lions responded with a 4-1 mark in the second half, losing only their season fi nale to league champion Deer Valley.

Ive been coaching for a lot of years, and this team is a very special team, said Weil. We had some height but we didnt have that 6-4 girl anymore. They came together as a team. Theyre a great group, even when I got frustrated; it was hard to get mad at them. My heart breaks more than theyll ever know for this loss tonight.Deer Valley 73, Irvington 38

Visiting Irvington started Tuesdays game with a lead, but fi nished on the business end of a Deer Valley rout. The third-seeded Wolverines went on a 13-2 run to end the fi rst quarter and never looked back, winning 73-38.

We played hard, had a little slow start, but I thought we got it together, head coach Mark Anger said. We have to force turnovers and we have to force tempo, and thats what we did.

Senior guard Raven Fox, who will play for Fresno State next year, scored a team-high

22 points. Sophomore guard Sabrea Cole-man, coming off the bench, added 17 more for Deer Valley, which will face No. 6 seed Monte Vista at home on Friday. The Mus-tangs beat Heritage 49-41 to advance to the next round.

It was never much of a game. The Wol-verines pulled out to a 35-19 lead by halftime and fi nished the third quarter up 56-28. In the fourth quarter, Deer Valleys reserves out-scored the Vikings seniors.

Anger prided his team on capitalizing on turnovers and mistakes, something theyve been working on all season long. Fox credited the defense for taking Irvington out of the game early.

We want to be able to capitalize every time and get a possession out of our press, Fox said. Its not easy, but its a good thing.

The Vikings were led by Michelle Lees 14 points. Nicole Ho scored 11 more for 14th-seeded Irvington, which fi nished its season 13-13.Monte Vista 49, Heritage 41

Heritage saw its surprising season come to an end Tuesday night in a 49-41 loss to East Bay Athletic League foe Monte Vista in the fi rst round of the NCS playoffs.

Senior guard Jenny Cyganowski and sophomore center Sabrina Engelstad each scored nine points.

The 11th-seeded Patriots at one point looked to challenge the Wolverines for Bay Valley Athletic League supremacy, but that dream must wait another year. Its roster full

of sophomores, Heritage will look to use the experience to build off of this years playoff push.

The Patriots fi nished their season 17-9.Staff Writer Justin Lafferty contributed

to this story.

by Michael DixonCorrespondent

Libertys Gabrielle Freeman tries to put up a shot, defended by Ashley Gustafson of Foothill.

Photo by Jolly Hanson

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Mikayla GriggsMikayla Griggs, a senior midfi elder on Heritage Highs varsity soccer team, scored every one of the Patriots four goals in their victories over Berkeley and Castro Valley in the fi rst two rounds of the North Coast Section playoff s.

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dislocated shoulder, added 12.Head coach John Woolery was happy

with the victory, but hed like to see a more steady play against Castro Valley on Fri-day.

We werent very consistent, but a wins a win; we move on, Woolery said. I think we played hard.

The Panthers (16-11) jumped out to a 21-16 lead in the fi rst quarter and never trailed.

Senior forward Logan Ryan led the Falcons with 14 points. Junior forward John Daily put 11 more on the score-board.

Antioch advances to face No. 1 seed Castro Valley on the road on Friday. The Trojans (25-1) earned a bye in the fi rst round and havent lost since Dec. 18, when Berkeley came away with a 70-68 win.

San Leandro 69, Heritage 67A buzzer-beater from inside the free

throw line by San Leandros Hameed Ali sent Heritage home with a 69-67 loss on Tuesday.

Patriots head coach Pat Cruickshank felt his players gave it their all, but a defen-sive lapse at the end made the difference. Senior guard Dorian Hardy and senior forward Xavier Watson led the team with 17 points each.

They competed all night, from the opening tip to the end, and showed a lot of heart, a lot of desire, Cruickshank said. I cant fault the effort that we put out.

Ali took the ball with less than four seconds left, pulled up around the top of

the key and nailed the shot.Heritage, seeded 10th, fi nished its sea-

son 16-10. The No. 7 seed Pirates (16-11) advance to face No. 2 De La Salle.

Newark Memorial 63, Freedom 38

Freedoms successful season ended on Tuesday night with a 63-38 rout by New-ark Memorial in the fi rst round of the NCS playoffs.

Falcons (15-11) head coach Drew Tor-res said he liked the way his team played in the fi rst half, but things fell apart in the fi nal two quarters. Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Cougars excelled in that time pe-riod.

Second half, we kind of lost our composure, Torres said. Newark played really well defensively and they shot really well in that second half.

Senior guard Andrew Garner led Freedom with 12 points. Sophomore guard James ONeal added eight more. Senior forward Kendall Andrews paced Newark Memorial with 23 points. The Cougars (21-6) play fi fth-seeded Berkeley on Friday.

According to Torres, the loss will be a motivating factor for the returning play-ers, who are hungry for a playoff win. He also feels that the seniors should hold their heads high.

This senior class made the playoffs three years in a row and they were the fi rst that really turned our team around, Tor-res said. Itll be a good experience for our younger guys to improve for next season.


Handle from page 21A


Heritage makes soccer playoff push

Heritage High senior midfi elder Mikayla Griggs was determined to help her team win its fi rst North Coast Section playoff game this year, but she didnt stop there.

After scoring both goals in a 2-1 fi rst-round over-time victory over Berkeley, Griggs again accounted for all of the Patriots offense in a 2-1 win last week over third-seeded Castro Valley. Down 1-0 to the Trojans in the second half, Griggs scored two goals to put Heritage over the top.

Theyre excited, but at the same time, theyre also focused, Patriots head coach Randy James said. They feel a continued responsibility to perform rather than the Were just happy to be here thing.

The victory over Castro Valley earned Heritage, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, a game with second-seed-ed San Ramon Valley, a tough East Bay Athletic League foe.

It was an overtime goal by Griggs that led the Patri-ots to the second round in a 2-1 victory over Berkeley in the fi rst round of the playoffs. The goal was Griggs sec-ond of the game, the fi rst coming shortly before the fi nal whistle of regulation. Both were assisted by sophomore forward Jamie Barron.

Mikayla was determined not to lose, James said. She wanted to win and thats the best way to put it.

Berkeley led 1-0 at halftime on the strength of a goal by freshman Farah Otero-Amad.

After Heritages one-and-done showing last season, this was the fi rst playoff win for the program in its brief varsity history.Clayton Valley 2, Liberty 1

Seventh-seeded Liberty, the Bay Valley Athletic League runner-up, suffered a 2-1 fi rst-round loss to Dia-blo Valley Athletic League foe Clayton Valley, the No. 10 seed in the tournament.Monte Vista 3, Freedom 1

Freedoms season ended in a 3-1 loss to Monte Vista in the fi rst round of the NCS playoffs.

The Mustangs held a 2-0 lead at halftime on goals by senior Jamie ODonnell and freshman Melissa Lewis. Senior Sami Schrakamp scored a third goal for Monte Vista at the 52-minute mark.

Junior midfi elder Catherine Carter scored the lone Falcons goal at 62 minutes. Senior goalkeeper Jessica Deno was credited with 12 saves.

Boys soccerRichmond 1, Deer Valley 0

BVAL champion Deer Valley saw its impressive sea-son come to an end Wednesday night in a 1-0 loss to No. 14 seed Richmond in the fi rst round of the playoffs.

The Wolverines, seeded third, went 12-2-6 in the regular season.Berkeley 5, Pittsburg 2

Pittsburg was no match for Berkeleys offense, as the Pirates fell to the Yellowjackets 5-2 in the NCS playoffs fi rst round.

To comment, visit www.thepress.net.Berkeleys Chine Parenteau and Heritages Ari Gordon battle for the ball in rst-round playoff action.

Photo by Richard Wisdom

by Justin LaffertyStaff Writer

by three individual champions. Freedoms Zack Wiley (130) and Gabe Tulchinsky (171) each won major decisions in their respective matches, while Roman Garcia hung on to de-feat Libertys Jacob Thompson-Zanarini in one of the most entertaining matches of the evening at 119 pounds. Garcia built a 5-0 lead in the match, only to see a furious comeback by Thompson-Zanarini make it 6-5 in the third round.

When Thompson-Zanarini attempted to throw Garcia with a head-and-arm combina-

tion, the move that had started the comeback, Garcia was able to instead get the takedown from behind, ensuring the 8-6 victory after al-lowing a fi nal escape in the waning seconds. All three Falcons champions will look to make noise this weekend, as all of them proved wor-thy of top-three seeds in the section champi-onships. Wiley earned an additional honor: the prestigious Martin Oliveri-Clyde Forrest Award for outstanding wrestler in all facets, incorporating sportsmanship, community service, academics and athletic ability.

It was in the middle-to-heavyweight classes where the Panthers were able to put

their stamp on the league meet. Joe Baynes picked up a pin in the championship match at 140 pounds, while Luke Hudson (160) and Kyle Clark (215) both continued seasons of dominance with fi rst-round pins.

Clark is the top seed for this weekends championships, while Hudson and Baynes are seeded in the top three. Pittsburg also claimed multiple titles during the fi nals on their way to a fourth-place team fi nish. Kenneth Nelson won a close 8-7 decision over Libertys Zach Hanson in the 189-pound fi nal, while Cae-sar Garcia pinned defending league cham-pion Tyler Blank of Liberty in the 285-pound

matchup. Garcia also earned a seed for this weekend.

Heritage picked up one champion, as Clayton Hambrick earned a major decision victory over the Lions Kevin Milner at 152 pounds. Hambrick is the third seed in the NCS.

Deer Valley placed one wrestler in the fi -nals, as sophomore Elijah Iakopo faced Clark in the 215-pound fi nal.

This weekends NCS Championships will be held on Friday and Saturday at New-ark Memorial High School.


Rule from page 21A

FEBRUARY 25, 2011 SPORTS THEPRESS.NET | 25A

22 000002010

GOL

D MEDALAWARD

At the annual Rumble in the Redwoods, a traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held earlier this month in Aptos, Brentwood-based Crosley Gracie Academy elded two athletes in the adult division. Paco Ramirez and Ryan Yarrish fought perfectly and won both their weight division and the open-weight class division in the Novice and Intermediate categories, respectively. Each fought ve times and brought home to Brentwood a huge trophy. The Academy was also well represented by the kids team, which earned four gold, four silver and three bronze medals.

Gold in the redwoods

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Gracie

Heritage High offensive lineman Will Strauss recently signed his letter of intent to play football for the United States Naval Acad-emy. Strauss, a second-team All-Bay Valley Athletic League selec-tion, was a member of an outstanding offensive line for a Patriots team that rushed for 332.2 yards per game this past season.

Strauss picks Navy

Photo courtesy of Michelle Snyder


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Falcons hope to continue winning ways

For the last decade, fans of Bay Valley Athletic League softball have gotten accus-tomed to one thing: the Freedom Falcons will fi nish the season on top of the league and make a deep playoff run. But since only a few players return to their same positions this season, head coach Jeff Jonas expects this season to be much tougher.

Senior Katie Wood moves from the out-fi eld to replace Sarah

oakley press_02.25.11

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