Visit Your Hometown Website www.thepress.net
ward Winning News al A pa
YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 10, No. 3
Arrests in gas station robbery Two Discovery Bay residents have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery of the Safeway gas station on Jan. 8, which police say might have been an inside job. According to Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jimmy Lee, Dorian Swigart, 35, conspired to commit the crime with Christopher Nelson, 21, who worked at the gas station and was the “victim” of the robbery. Swigart was a former employee of the Safeway gas station Swigart was arrested on suspicion of robbery, burglary, conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance and transportation of a
controlled substance. She is being held at the county jail in Martinez on $70,000 bail. Nelson was arrested on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy and embezzlement. He is being held in lieu of $80,000 bail. According to Sheriff’s detectives, on Jan. 8 at about 9:55 p.m., Swigart entered the gas station at the Sandy Cove Shopping Center on Highway 4 and ordered Nelson to empty the cash register. Swigart fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. The pair was arrested on Jan. 11. Anyone with additional information in the case can contact the Sheriff’s Office at 925-646-2441.
A firefighter’s battle against cancer sounded the alarm for his colleagues, who answered the call with overwhelming force. Page 4
Photo by Richard Wisdom
worker makes his way carefully through a local orchard where this week’s freezing overnight temperatures and sprinkler irrigation combined to create a most unusual East County winter wonderland. For more photos, including many submitted by Press readers, log on to www.thepress.net.
A
by Justin Lafferty
BART is considering an 11-mile extension of eBART service from the planned stop at Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch all the way to Byron. The tracks would be aligned with the Highway 4 Bypass.
Staff Writer
John Carter/ Press Graphic
BART officials plan to present their proposal at local city council meetings throughout February and March, and hold a series of town hall meetings for public in-
THE FITNESS
RESOLUTION Scan to Enter Sweepstakes!
Sponsored by Delta Valley Athletic Club
SOLUTION SWEEPSTAKES www.facebook.com/thepress.net
January 20, 2012
Rapid response time
Icy orchard
Officials exploring eBART options Transportation officials are exploring a plan that could help realize a long-held dream for East Contra Costa: A mass-transit connect to the greater Bay Area for Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood and Discovery Bay. As construction workers lay ground for the Hillcrest Avenue eBART station in Antioch – the currently planned end of the line – BART is exploring the feasibility of extending eBART service through East County along the Highway 4 Bypass. Possible stops include Laurel Road, Lone Tree Way, Sand Creek Road, Balfour Road and a station serving Byron and Discovery Bay, a total of roughly 11 miles southeast of the Hillcrest Avenue Station.
rs
Na t
pe
ion
put in June. “We want to keep that momentum going and involve the public,” BART Director Joel Keller said at a recent eBART meeting. Ellen Smith, the eBART proj-
Dream lives on go to news/WebExtras!
A celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King emphasized courage, love and faith.
ect manager, noted that eBART technology is not only more earth-friendly, but much cheaper. see eBART page 34
Call for jurors
go to news/press releases Seats are open for the county’s watchdog agency: the Civil Grand Jury.
Getting all dolled up A local 10-year-old Barbie buff took the grand prize in a national mini-mannequin-maven contest. Page 6
Geared for gridiron glory
Two East County athletes take the field this weekend for a shot to play in Super Bowl XLVI. Page 21 Arts ........................................10 Calendar ...............................35 Classifieds ............................31 Entertainment ....................27 Food .......................................28 Milestones .............................9 Opinion .................................14 Sports ....................................21 FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Rink revue
go to multimedia/videos Figure skaters – from amateurs to stars – twirled through an icy extravanganza.