YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 46
Including Nearby Communities
www.thepress.net
Veterans on parade in Antioch by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
Thousands of people lined Second Street in downtown Antioch Wednesday to view the soldiers, vintage cars, macho motorcyclists, flag-waving scouts, marching bands, waving politicians and a bagpiper in the nearly hourlong Second Annual Veterans Day Parade. “So far it’s been wonderful,” said Antioch resident Bruna DelChiaro. “I’m a very patriotic person. I love my country and want to honor these young men that are giving their lives for us. I’m really proud of our mayor (Jim Davis) that he continues with this. I’m happy to see that we keep this day alive. The young people don’t seem to have the patriotism that we oldsters do. And I hope that this kind of brings to mind to them what these young men are doing: they are giving their lives for their freedom.” Many of the younger kids sitting on the curb seemed more appreciative of the giving of candy occasionally being thrown their way by parade participants. But
Photo by Rick Lemyre
Thousands of people lined downtown Antioch to honor America’s veterans Wednesday. one dad was observed showing his 4-year-old son how to salute the passing soldiers. While many vintage cars with roaring engines made the half-mile trek from E Street to the Antioch Marina, the most unusual was a ’55 Chevy displaying the names of 3,578 Vietnam prisoners of war or missing in action, similar to the
Vietnam Memorial wall in Washington D.C. Max Loffgren, a twicewounded Vietnam vet, rebuilt the car in 1993 and has traveled across the country several times displaying it at patriotic events. “We made it home; these guys did not – and we didn’t want to forget them,” said Loffgren. “Over 600 of these guys came home alive
during the course of the war. And today we are still missing 1,734 of them. As a result of the war, a lot of them may have ended up in China, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, any of the communist bloc countries. According to the National League of Families, they think about 100 of these guys may still be alive.” The parade actually started in the air as a restored Vietnam-era Huey assault helicopter flew over Rivertown containing the grand marshals: Bataan Death March survivor Vincent Silva; Richard Lundin, a major general in the Northern California Army Reserve and Leo Fontana, a World War II veteran. The parade kicked off on the ground with police motorcycles, a fire truck, color guard and bagpiper followed by Antioch and Oakley City Council members, Antioch school board members and recently elected Congressman John Garamendi. Music was provided by the Antioch, Deer Valley and Liberty high school marching bands. Watching the festivities near see Veterans page 15A
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November 13, 2009
THIS WEEK
Guidelines for gifting
Hoping to wrap up your holiday shopping swiftly and smoothly? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide.
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Powerful proponents A proposed generating station has generated support from residents, city officials and business leaders alike.
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Crosstown confrontation
Opinions flow on state water bills by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
Local reaction to the water legislation passed last week in Sacramento ranges from raising a glass in celebration to a lukewarm wait-and-see attitude to simply considering it all wet, depending on whom you talk to. The five water bills provide for a new Delta governing board that could approve a peripheral canal, require water conservation of 20 percent in urban areas, increase monitoring of groundwater, increase penalties for illegally taking water from the Delta and place an $11 billion bond for water projects on the ballot next November. Local Delta users and advocates have long been mistrustful of efforts in Sacramento to “fix” the Delta, fearing that it’s mostly a ruse to send more water south rather than keep it in the Delta to preserve the ecosystem. “Obviously, I am disappointed, as should everybody in the Delta,” said Roger Mammon, an Oakley resident and board member of the advocacy organization Restore the Delta. “They are passing all these things about Delta protection, but there’s no enforcement body behind it or penalties. There’s so much to it, it’s kind of hard to track it all. But if you really look at it, there’s a lot of pork in this thing. It looks like
“ The approval of this
“ Obviously, I am
water package represents a significant milestone for water policy in California.
disappointed, as should everybody in the Delta.
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Jennifer Allen, CCWD there’s a general obligation bond that will be paid for by the general public and the projects will benefit Southern California and the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, which has the most junior water rights in the state.” Of the bond’s $11 billion, $3 billion is designated for water storage, $2.2 billion for Delta projects such as levee reinforcement and ecosystem restoration, $1.7 billion for watershed conservation throughout the state, $1.4 billion for water management and delivery projects, $1.2 for water recycling and conservation, $1 billion for groundwater cleanup and protection and $455 million for drought relief. But Mammon is skeptical that local Delta users will see much benefit. Asked whether they will get anything from the water package, he said, “Yeah, they get the shaft.” In contrast, the Contra Costa Water Dis-
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Roger Mammon, Restore the Delta
The Deer Valley Wolverines crashed the Antioch Panthers’ Senior Night party and ran their unbeaten streak to nine.
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trict (CCWD), which gets all of its water from the Delta, welcomes the legislation, believing it will improve water quality. “The approval of this water package represents a significant milestone for water policy in California,” said Jennifer Allen, CCWD senior public information specialist. “It doesn’t fix the Delta but provides the framework and financing needed to begin the critical restoration program needed to ensure Delta sustainability. It includes the establishment of state policy that improves Delta water quality, making water supply more reliable, and provides flood control in the Delta. It will also set requirements for flows out of the Delta before more projects can be implemented.” That includes the proposed peripheral
Calendar ..........................23B Classifieds ........................14B Cop Logs ..........................17A Entertainment ................11B Food .................................10B Health & Beauty ............... 7B Holiday Gift Guide ........... 1B Opinion ...........................16A Outdoors ...........................6A Sports ...............................19A
see Water page 15A
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
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