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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 10, No. 44
Police resources Fit for a queen stretched thinner A by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer
Antioch Police Chief Jim Hyde gave a bleak account of the present and future state of his department during a presentation at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. On the one hand, Hyde reported that violent crime this year has dropped by 2.7 percent compared to 2009, and that dispatchers have received fewer calls for service. Adult arrests from January through September are down significantly from last year (4,120 in 2009 to 2,976 this year). However, the most likely cause behind those statistics offers a reason to worry. Hyde said there haven’t been enough officers to take care of all the crimes and answer as many phone calls.
ntioch High School senior Jacquellyn Areas was crowned Homecoming Queen at halftime of Friday’s football game with Liberty. Antioch crowns a queen only for homecoming; the equivalent of a king, “Mr. Panther,” is announced in February. Read more about Homecoming on Page 10A.
“Historically, the City of Antioch has always carried a lean, mean staff,” Hyde told council members. “Any slippage in any department has a tremendous impact.” Because of reductions, the department is operating on a 35percent vacancy rate, the chief said, including officers who aren’t able to work because of injury or military duty. Hyde also noted that a continued decline in the economy could trigger the laying off of between one and 10 of the 126 officers on staff next year. If the pink slips are sent out, the department would be running on a 42-percent vacancy rate. If things get worse, said the chief, the department might not be able to maintain its current level of property-crime investi-
Photo by Curtis Evans
see Police page 15A
Quilt fundraiser helps spread the warmth by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer
The Delta Quilters annual Quilt Show, held last weekend at the Antioch Fairgrounds, has one focus: giving back. The show raises money to pay for programs such as Quilts of Honor, in which members of the quilting guild piece together patriotic blankets for veterans, and other charitable donations. According to Delta Quilters President Pennie Bagwell, more than 400 people braved the rain to enjoy the event. Some came from as far away as Salem, Ore. “We have been very pleased with it,” Bagwell said. “The rain has put a bit of a damper on it, but we had great attendance.” Though there’s no count yet of how much money was raised,
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Photo by Justin Lafferty
A quilt show attendee examines the variety of patterns displayed at the recent Annual Quilt Show at the Antioch Fairgrounds. the event usually brings in be- organizers started running out tween $3,000 and $4,000. On of tickets. Saturday, the show’s first day, One of the major attractions
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Fall farm fun
go to news/WebExtras! Preschoolers moseyed through a maze, hoofed a hoedown and secured squash.
for this year’s event was Don Linn, known as “Mr. Quilt,” a longtime quilter and author of two books about the craft. “We want to share quilting and we have all the people come in and (share) all the joy of working with the fabric,” said Bagwell. “There’s the other part that is more important to us – giving, and what we can do to help.” Dozens of quilts with themes ranging from floral to patriotic to sports and holidays were displayed with pride. Quilts of Honor co-chairwoman Susan Denton said that some quilts on display were the fruits of the collaborative work of 20 or more of the guild’s 105 members, all of whom live in East County. Some members got creative see Quilt page 15A
Salute our vets
go to news/press releases Civilians get to show their appreciation for veterans at an upcoming bash.
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October 29, 2010
This Week Spine-chilling schedule
You’ll find our Halloween lineup of creepy occurrences a real scream. Page 10B
Endorsed by the Press We’ve covered the issues and hawked the campaigns. Now it’s time to pick the prime contenders. Page 16A
Scary scenario
The Falcons gave the Wolverines a pre-Halloween fright when a penalty and errant kick strangled an uncanny comeback. Page 1B
Plus: Calendar ............................ 19B Classifieds ......................... 13B Entertainment ................. 10B Food ...................................... 9B Health & Beauty ................ 8B Opinion ..............................16A Sports ................................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Town treats
go to multimedia/videos Hometown Halloween trickor-treaters found downtown a sweet spot.