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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 11, No. 32
City OKs utilities for power plant by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer
Antioch officials recently agreed to provide water and sewer services to a 760-megawatt power plant being built on county land, a facility City Council members feel will pay great dividends. GenOn, formerly Mirant, is building a 27-acre power plant in unincorporated territory near Antioch on Wilbur Road in Northeast Antioch. Antioch, GenOn and the Contra Costa County Local Agency Formation Commission are working on annexing that area to the city. A staff report from City Consultant Victor Carniglia notes that the annexation process will likely be completed next year. By providing water and sewer services to GenOn’s Marsh Landing Generating Station operation, Antioch officials hope hundreds of jobs will be created
Illustration courtesy of GenOn
A 3D rendering shows the planned GenOn Marsh Landing Generation Station, being built just outside of Antioch city limits on Wilbur Road. in East County. City Council members approved the action 30; Mary Rocha and Brian Kalinowski were absent.
“I’m excited about the fact that it’s going to bring more jobs to our city,” Councilman Wade Harper said.
According to GenOn’s website, the power plant could create about 300 union construction jobs at peak, and 16 operations jobs following completion. The plant, through property taxes and other payments, could pour as much as $6.5 to $7.5 million into city coffers over a 12-year span. GenOn president John Chillemi, who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, said that construction, which started earlier this year, is scheduled to wrap up in May of 2013. The plant will be fueled by natural gas, according to the California Energy Commission, something that pleased Councilman Gary Agopian. “It cannot be emphasized enough that we’re taking offline a dirty technology and replacing it with clean technology,” Agopian said. “Natural gas is currently one of the most see Power Plant page 26A
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August 12, 2011
Cultivating community
Jewish congregations are finding East County fertile soil for the flourishing of a great culture and religion. Page 1B
Ready to respond The public is invited to help celebrate the grand opening of a new state-of-the-art fire station. Page 3A
Terrors of the track
Fundraiser planned for wounded warrior by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Fye, an East County native, lost half of his left leg earlier this year in Afghanistan after stepping on an explosive device, but his positive attitude is invincible. Fye, whose family lives in Antioch, was a bomb technician serving his fourth tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force. His job involved searching for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and destroying them to secure the area for his fellow troops. The Pittsburg High graduate, 30, already had a bad feeling about May 27. The day before, he lost two of his friends to IED explosions. During the process of searching for the explosives in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan, Fye
stepped on one. The blast cost him the lower part of his left leg and shattered his right leg. He’s currently recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas and will soon begin physical therapy and be fitted for a prosthesis. Fye and everyone around him knows it could have been much worse. “All I was missing was part of my leg and my other leg was damaged, but I still have it,” Fye said. “I was alive and thankful to be going home to my family.” A former member of the Pittsburg High Marching Band, Fye has gone through seven surgeries and incredible amounts of pain, as his right leg is being reformed and strengthened with steel rods. Fye credits the support of his family and friends as crucial in getting him see Wounded page 26A
The fastest guns in dirt racing ride into town come September at the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Page 21A Arts ....................................... 9A Calendar ............................ 15B Classifieds ......................... 10B Cop Logs ............................19A East County Life ................ 1B Food ...................................... 8B Health & Beauty ................ 5B Milestones .......................... 6B Opinion ..............................18A Sports .................................21A Photo courtesy of Daniel Fye
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Fye, an East County native, is currently recovering from an explosion that cost him half of his left leg and badly injured his right leg.
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go to multimedia/videos More than 1,800 local bowlers tried to help break a world record.