YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 11, No. 45
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
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November 6, 2009
THIS WEEK
Veterans to be venerated
Photos by Richard Wisdom
Members of Liberty High School choral groups past and present gathered to sing “What Would I Do Without My Music,” the traditional last song the groups sing together each year. Above right, friends came to the podium in groups, leaning on each other as they remembered Kayla Shepard, who died last week at 19.
East County will observe Veterans Day with a blend of spirited celebration and solemn remembrance.
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Community mourns a song silenced Insectoid infestation by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
Hundreds gathered Tuesday to say goodbye to Kayla Shepard, 2008 Liberty graduate and Jenny Lind Award-winning vocalist, who was killed in an automobile accident near Bakersfield last week. She had celebrated her 19th birthday just days before. Dozens of friends and family addressed the assembly, tearfully recalling moments shared with Shepard. Some spoke of being best friends, while others said they knew her only in passing, but for most of their lives
growing up. A common denominator ran through most of the stories: music. “Kayla and music went hand in hand,” said her father, Bob Shepard. It was a message, along with her easy-going manner and steadfast devotion to her friends, that was driven home over and over again, as speakers recalled My Space and Facebook posts they felt summed up their friend. “Kayla, you’re perfect. I love you” … “You never gave up on me, even when you probably should have” … “She was always the first one to make me laugh about something I was crying about” … “I never felt more loved
by anyone” … “I know how much you loved (being in the choral group) DIVA. We were awesome” … “I remember our trip to China, singing the wrong songs in the Forbidden City” … “I can’t think of any better way to keep loving you than to keep singing” … “There’s nothing I want more than to be able to give you just one more hug” … “Our voices together completed my soul” … “There’s no doubt in my mind that she would have owned San Francisco” … “When she walked into a room, the walls smiled” and “Kayla added
Staff Writer
An effort to recall Mayor Bob Taylor and city councilmen Chris Becnel and Bob Brockman hit its second snag last week when legal paperwork was found to contain too few valid signatures. Resident Kathy Fredenberg originally served papers to the trio of councilmen during the public comment period before the Oct. 13 council meeting. Her notice of intent accused them of “ruinous leadership,” “incompetent management” and “proceeding in direct violation of a grant deed regarding the use of park land” among other complaints. During the development of the civic center project, Fredenberg maintained that a portion of City Park would be paved over in violation of a deed granted the city in 1888, which said it was to remain a park forever. Planners have maintained that although some of the park will be used for
buildings, relocating the library – built on park land decades ago – plus a plaza square and a covered History Walk will mean there will be more room for park activities upon the project’s completion than there is now. In serving the papers, however, Brockman was given Taylor’s documents and vice versa. Saying “follow-up paperwork” had gone awry, Fredenberg served all three again during public comments at the Oct. 27 council meeting. The second set of papers, however, did not contain enough valid signatures, according to the Contra Costa County Clerk Recorder’s office. Of the 29 signatures on Taylor’s papers, only 18 were valid. For Becnel, 24 signatures yielded only 16 that were valid; for Brockman, it was 17 valid signatures out of 26. Each petition needed a minimum of 20 valid signatures for the effort to move forward. Fredenberg could not be reached for comment on whether a third attempt would be made.
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High-flying Homecoming
see Song page 13A
Recall effort sputters Groundbreaking set for Tuesday by Rick Lemyre
In what sounds like a sci-fi scenario, clusters of large cockroaches are invading local neighborhoods.
The City of Brentwood will formally break ground on its new civic center on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. in City Park on Oak Street between Third and Second streets. Construction fencing and an office trailer were moved into City Park last week shortly after the City Council gave the final go-ahead for the $28.6 million construction project. The civic center will include a new city hall, community center, an enlarged library and redesigned City Park. Last week the council decided to build a parking structure that had been taken out of the project’s first phase. It was added back in to the first phase after bids on the rest of the project came in 36 percent below estimates, saving $16.4 million in construction costs. Estimates of the cost for the garage have yet to be determined, but it’s expected to be less than $11 million. Next Tuesday, Mayor Bob Taylor is scheduled to make a few remarks, followed by the groundbreaking ceremony and light refreshments.
Heritage turned up the heat on its gridiron grill and burned Antioch to a crisp.
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INSIDE Business .............................6A Calendar ..........................23B Classifieds ........................16B Entertainment ................10B Food .................................12B Health & Beauty ............... 9B Opinion ...........................16A Sports ................................. 1B Talk About Town ..............5A WebExtras! ....................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A