Antioch Press-08.19.11

Page 1

Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net

ward Winning News al A pa

YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vol. 11, No. 33

Film and Arts Festival fizzles by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer

An Antioch woman recently canceled a festival she planned for Rivertown after city officials determined that it failed to meet key safety and insurance requirements. Antioch resident Loretta Green-Williams wanted to enrich knowledge of the arts in East County’s youth, so she brainstormed the Antioch Film and Arts Festival. The festival was originally planned to run Sept. 1-5 and include a filmmaking workshop and weekend performances by several local musical acts. Three prominent musicians – Cuban salsa artist Tito Gonzales, Brazilian jazz musician Marcos Silva and California jazz group Ruthie Dineen and Calle 49 – were slated to take the stage as well. The event also included fundraising for scholarships to art, music and film schools. “We saw there was a need, so we wanted to fill it,” Green-Williams said.

Photo courtesy of Dana Verde

New York-based filmmaker Dana Verde will lead a film workshop over Labor Day weekend in Rivertown, the one remaining event in the pared-down Antioch Film and Arts Festival. While the filmmaking workshop – set for Sept. 1-5 at Driversity and Eco Business Center in downtown Antioch – will go forward as planned, concerns from the city about the planning and logistics of the event forced Antioch to deny

Green-Williams’ request to use Waldie Plaza for the festival. Green-Williams started planning the festival in March and wanted to hold the event next year, but said the positive response from Mayor Jim Davis and other mem-

bers of the community motivated her to try for this year. Green-Williams said some of the businesses in the historic downtown area agreed to stay open during the festival. Green-Williams worked with her organization, the Women of Concern Professionals, and Rainy Robinson, the owner of downtown Jane Bond Insurance Agency, to fill out the necessary paperwork. Tina Wehrmeister, the city’s director of community development, said that originally Green-Williams wanted to hold the festival at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center, but the facility was booked for that weekend. On Aug. 8, Wehrmeister said Green-Williams requested use of Waldie Plaza for her event. The next day, Wehrmeister informed Green-Williams that she could not hold the festival there, pointing out that adequate security had not been hired and the insurance information was incomplete. Green-Williams claimed that she and Robinson felt

rs

Na t

pe

ion

August 19, 2011

Brilliance in a bottle

An East County grape grower’s expertise is converting the region’s soil and climate into fistfuls of awards. Page 1B

Furry enforcers Sirt, Thor, Tico and Bo invite you to lend a paw at a fundraiser to benefit Antioch’s four-legged finest. Page 6A

‘The Storm’ flattens foes

see Festival page 17A

Money set for eBART park-and-ride by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer The planned eBART station on Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch got a key boost recently, as local politicians announced that money has been secured from the state for park-and-ride services in the northern part of the city. According to a press release from Congressmen John Garamendi, George Miller and Jerry McNerney, the eBART project recently received $641,250 from the California Department of Transportation for Tri-Delta Transit to purchase the land needed for park-and-ride and bus services for the planned station. Park-and-ride stations will allow commuters to leave their car in a lot while a Tri-Delta Transit bus takes them to the eBART station. According to City Councilmember Gary Agopian, the new park-and-ride lot would be located on Auto Cen-

“ Connecting Antioch to BART through eBART will help thousands of residents in East Contra Costa and beyond get to work and have easier access to locations throughout Northern California.

Rep. John Garamendi ter Drive near the Babe Ruth baseball fields. “I’m glad our work and the hard work of Tri-Valley Transit, BART, and other regional leaders succeeded in securing this desperately needed investment,” Garamendi said in the press

release. “Connecting Antioch to BART through eBART will help thousands of residents in East Contra Costa and beyond get to work and have easier access to locations throughout Northern California. The Antioch eBART station and park-and-ride will serve as a hub to BART and also be available for express bus service, better connecting Antioch to its neighbors.” This is one of the latest developments on the eBART front after Antioch City Councilmembers approved the station’s design in June. The eBART station will cost roughly $462 million and likely be operational in five years. Currently, Tri-Delta Transit operates a parkand-ride lot that connects East County to BART through buses at Sunset Drive, right by the Highway 4 exit for Hillcrest Avenue. Agopian feels that BART’s use of the lot as second park-and-ride

Power boost

go to news/WebExtras!

visit thepress.net

like us on facebook

follow us on twitter

Scan QR code with your mobile device to access these websites.

Rebates and incentives are available for energy-efficiency upgrades.

see eBART page 17A

Take a seat

go to news/press releases A county transportation committee is looking for a new member.

A local kickboxer’s recent triumph gave a boost to her already impressive bevy of belts. Page 21A Arts ....................................... 4A Calendar ............................ 15B Classifieds ......................... 10B Cop Logs ............................19A East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................... 7B Food ...................................... 8B Health & Beauty ................ 4B Milestones .......................... 3B Opinion ..............................18A Sports .................................21A FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A

Spread the virus go to multimedia/videos

Send in your favorite viral video for viewing on The Press’ website.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.