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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 11, No. 42
Protesters occupy Lone Tree
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October 21, 2011
Mavens of marketing
Crowns conferred
by Justin Lafferty Staff Writer It started in New York City, gained steam as it bounced around the globe and recently emerged in Antioch. Lone Tree Way on Saturday played host to an Occupy rally, as roughly 50 protesters stood up and spoke out against the income gap, joblessness and the war. People held up signs, participated in cheers and even shared cookies at the event held in front of Deer Valley High School. Organizer Harry Thurston said he simply got tired of hearing about stories dealing with income inequality on the news and decided to do something. He took a liking to the Occupy movement, which he feels is a way for everyday people to become more involved with their government. The Occupy rallies started on Sept. 17, when roughly 1,000 activists flocked to Wall Street, preparing to camp out and protest the statistic that claims the richest 1 percent of America’s population controls a lion’s share of the country’s wealth. Protesters have banded around the phrase “We are the 99 percent.” “Though we don’t have the money in this country,
An online marketing summit will prevent you from opening a business but not telling anyone about it. Page 5B
Getting a jump on jobs Need to add pizzazz to your resumé or cope with rejection? Check out strategies that help you join the workforce. Page 1B Photo by Curtis Evans
herita Wilson and Anthony Sessions were crowned Deer Valley High School homecoming queen and king at halftime of the Wolverines’ game against the Liberty Lions. Wilson, who has been involved in drama and track, plans to major in biology in college. Sessions, a member of the marching band’s drum line, was crowned by last year’s king, Justin Sin. The evening’s festivities climaxed in a Deer Valley victory. For more photos, see Page 10A.
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Digs and kills for the cure
see Protesters page 22A
Big-box retailers on Brentwood’s agenda by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
Brentwood might not have received any applications from bigbox stores to set up shop in the city, but officials and residents plan to be ready if and when it happens. The City Council was to hold a special council meeting this week to discuss “the status of zoning regulations affecting large retail uses citywide and for specific properties.” The scheduling of the session was triggered by residents’ concerns over the impacts that such stores might make on the city. Chief among their concerns is the possibility that super retailer
What the council won’t be able to consider, however, is if Walmart’s name is on the building. Walmart could locate on the Sciortino Ranch property on Brentwood Boulevard at Sand Creek Road. The Sciortino Ranch, as well as five other locations in the city, is currently zoned to allow large retail uses as a right, meaning any applicant’s project need only pass through design review, evaluating the “feel, fit and finish” of the project, the staff report for the meeting states. The limited environmental review that is part of the design
review process, however, might not be sufficient to “address environmental issues unrelated to design (such as, for example, off-site urban decay impacts resulting from other stores which may close as a result of the project,” according to the report. Urban decay is one of the issues raised by a group of residents and business people worried about the impact of a store such as Walmart on the downtown busi-
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ness core and other businesses in the city. They are also concerned that locating a big-box such as Walmart on Sciortino would continue what they see as a trend to concentrate low-income housing and low-end retail in what had been promoted as a “grand boulevard” entrance to the city. In a similar case involving Walmart’s plan to expand its Antioch store into a Supercenter, a Superior Court decision said this week that that city’s approval of design review guidelines should have considered the broader impacts such as Brentwood wants to consider. But see Big Box page 22A
Adventure in Ag go to news/press releases
An upcoming forum will discuss sustainable food production in the Bay Area.
The Panthers and Wolverines volleyball squads helped put breast cancer research in the pink. Page 17A Arts ....................................... 8A Business ............................. 17B Calendar ............................ 19B Classifieds ......................... 13B Cop Logs ............................15A East County Life ................ 1B Entertainment ................... 9B Food .................................... 10B Health & Beauty ................ 6B Milestones .......................... 8B Opinion ..............................14A Sports .................................17A FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Burger binge
go to multimedia/videos An eating contest identified the most spacious digestive system in town.