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Vol. 11, No. 40
YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Chamber plans to celebrate city by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer
Tired of hearing about Antioch’s bad reputation, Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sean Wright decided to do something to change it. Wright announced at a recent Antioch City Council meeting that the chamber has planned an event focusing on the positives of living in the city. On Monday, Oct. 24 from noon to 2 p.m. at Humphrey’s on the Delta, the Chamber of Commerce will host its inaugural Celebration of Antioch. “There are some really good things taking place in Antioch, and I wanted to give our city officials a chance to express those,” Wright said. “I don’t want (them) to focus on the budget and the things we know are still happening. Let’s give ourselves the opportunity to talk
“ This gives citizens the opportunity to hear things that will make them proud to live here and want to be a part of it. For all the hard times we’re going through, Antioch has some things that are moving us in the right direction.
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Sean Wright Chamber of Commerce Chairman about and think about the positives.” Wright said that normally, the chamber puts on a State of the City address, but recently decided to go in a different direction. The chamber has invited several prominent local figures to address the positive aspects of being an Antioch citizen.
Antioch Unified School District Superintendent Don Gill will describe the exciting things happening on the city’s education front, such as linked learning academies. In addition to schools such as Dozier-Libbey Medical High School – which was recently honored as a California Distinguished School – several campuses offer
themed curricula: there’s the Deer Valley Law Academy, and Antioch High School operates a learning academy for students interested in engineering. The district also plans to establish media technology and environmental sciences academies. “Everybody I talk to from the city side is excited,” Wright said. “This gives citizens the opportunity to hear things that will make them proud to live here and want to be a part of it. For all the hard times we’re going through, Antioch has some things that are moving us in the right direction. Citizens will find out how they can participate.” Other guest speakers will include Mayor Jim Davis and City Manager Jim Jakel, whom Wright said will get a chance to step away from the City Council chamber dais and speak with residents about see Celebrate page 15A
Train-truck crash under investigation by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
Railroad officials and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office are investigating the collision between a passenger train and a big rig that injured 39 people near Orwood Resort in Byron last Friday night. There were 204 passengers aboard the Amtrak San Joaquin train headed east toward Stockton on its way to Bakersfield when the accident occurred at 7:27 p.m., according to East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Chief Hugh Henderson. The injured included two of the train’s crew. None of the injuries were serious, and two life-flight helicopters brought in departed without passengers. “There was a ‘bang’ and I knew we’d hit something,” said Kay Beyett, who commutes on
Photo by Richard Wisdom
Officials inspect the damage to an Amtrak train that struck a big rig Friday night, sending 39 people to local hospitals with minor to moderate injuries. the train between Stockton and Martinez and was in the fourth car from the front. “The train
shook back and forth. At first I was afraid it was going to derail.”
Independent truck driver Fidel Pinon said he was at the wheel of a tandem-trailer hopper truck carrying feed corn over the private railroad crossing. A row of roadside trees obstructed his view of the tracks until it was too late to avoid the collision, he said. The intersection has no lights or cross arms, and is marked only with stop signs. The train ripped the second trailer off the truck, blasting kernels of corn more than 100 feet but leaving the rest of the truck upright and intact. Pinon was uninjured. “The best part of this whole thing is that no one was seriously hurt on the train, and I get to go home to my family,” he said. Halima Gentry was in the last car of the train commuting home from work to Stockton when the see Crash page 15A
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October 7, 2011
Muir arouses arboreal awe
Within striking distance of East County is a place that’s home to the tallest living things on the planet. Page 1B
Quilters sew, charities reap The Delta Quilters’ show, held at the County Fairgrounds, raises funds for worthy causes square by square. Page 5A
Escape from the scrape
The lucky winner of a DIRTcar event at the Antioch Speedway saw a five-car crash in his rearview mirror. Page 22A Calendar ............................ 15B Classifieds ........................... 9B Cop Logs ............................17A East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................... 5B Food ...................................... 6B Health & Beauty ................ 4B Milestones ........................ 13B Opinion ..............................16A Sports .................................19A FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Los Vaqueros marina building and boat docks will be closed for reservoir expansion construction activities starting Monday, Oct. 10 Shoreline fishing will continue to be available along the reservoir’s south shore, and bait and tackle sales will continue from the south side entrance kiosk. For information, call us at 925-371-2628 or visit www.ccwater.com.