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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 12, No. 3
Internet café aims for downtown by Justin Lafferty
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January 20, 2012
Rapid response time
Staff Writer The owner of an Antioch Internet café is fighting to operate her business in Rivertown, but city officials believe the business is a gaming facility and not eligible to make the move due to its proximity to a school. Antioch resident Patricia Simmons, owner of T’s Internet Café, has met resistance from the city in her attempt to move her business from A Street to Second Street, a few blocks away from Prospects High School. In addition to selling Internet time on the café’s 50 computers, the business also runs sweepstakes for free Internet time and cash prizes as a way to draw in more customers and make the environment more fun. While Simmons compares the sweepstakes to games of chance facilitated by fast food restaurants, the city declared earlier this month that the café is classified as a gaming facility. And according to a city ordinance, gaming facilities cannot see Café page 34
A firefighter’s battle against cancer sounded the alarm for his colleagues, who answered the call with overwhelming force. Page 4
Arts advocate ups the ante Photo by Justin Lafferty
Patricia Simmons, owner of T’s Internet Café, stands outside the Rivertown building where she hopes to operate her business.
Officials exploring eBART options by Justin Lafferty
BART is considering an 11-mile extension of eBART service from the planned stop at Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch all the way to Byron. The tracks would be aligned with the Highway 4 Bypass.
Staff Writer Transportation officials are exploring a plan that could help realize a long-held dream for East Contra Costa: A mass-transit connect to the greater Bay Area for Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood and Discovery Bay. As construction workers lay ground for the Hillcrest Avenue eBART station in Antioch – the currently planned end of the line – BART is exploring the feasibility of extending eBART service through East County along the Highway 4 Bypass. Possible stops include Laurel Road, Lone Tree Way, Sand Creek Road, Balfour Road and a station serving Byron and Discovery Bay, a total of roughly 11 miles southeast of the Hillcrest Avenue Station. BART officials plan to pres-
John Carter/ Press Graphic
ent their proposal at local city council meetings throughout February and March, and hold a series of town hall meetings for public input in June. “We want to keep that momentum going and
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involve the public,” BART Director Joel Keller said at a recent eBART meeting. Ellen Smith, the eBART project manager, noted that eBART technology is not only
Dream lives on go to news/WebExtras!
A celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King emphasized courage, love and faith.
more earth-friendly, but much cheaper. According to the BART environmental impact report issued in 2008, a 10-mile stretch see eBART page 34
Call for jurors
go to news/press releases Seats are open for the county’s watchdog agency: the Civil Grand Jury.
A veteran promoter of painting, sculpture, music and literature is taking a seat on a local arts commission. Page 3
High-flying farewell
The Antioch High soccer team’s goal is always victory, but this season they want to give their head coach an extra special sendoff. Page 21 Arts ........................................10 Calendar ...............................35 Classifieds ............................31 Entertainment ....................27 Food .......................................28 Milestones .............................9 Opinion .................................14 Sports ....................................21 FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Rink revue
go to multimedia/videos Figure skaters – from amateurs to stars – twirled through an icy extravanganza.