YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 17, No. 6
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Helping students thrive
February 8, 2019
Snow dusts Mount Diablo Changing Young Lives
by Aly Brown Staff Writer
After expanding its services to Byron last school year, one Brentwood-based nonprofit is hoping to spread the word in an effort to help more kids and families in need. Village Community Resource Center (VCRC), a free afterschool program for the children of low- and very low-income families, branched out to Byron last academic year. Kirsten Rigsby, executive director, said her team has been hard at work on recruitment. “Getting into the (Byron Union) School District has been a little bit of a challenge prior to this point; we’ve been working with Brentwood and Oakley for so many years now that we already have those connections,” she said. “So, I’m hopeful as we work more closely see Students page 30
Local resident brings life experience and support to youth at the Byron Boys Ranch. Page 18
For The Love Of Kayla Photo by Tony Kukulich
R
ecent cold temperatures have left a visible mark on East County, and the sun rose on Tuesday to reveal a Mount Diablo blanketed in snow. Tony Kukulich, photographer for The Press, captured this image from Brentwood on Tuesday, Feb. 5. To view more photos, visit www.thepress.net/ multimedia/slideshows
Fighting for a path to residency by Aly Brown Staff Writer
It’s been a year since Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would end for Salvadorans who arrived in the U.S. as refugees nearly 20 years ago, but the fight for change remains heavy on the minds of families racing the clock. This month, TPS holders along with their U.S. citizen children and allies – as part of NorCal TPS Delegation – will convene to the Capitol in mass numbers to convince lawmakers to support legislation that would offer pathways to permanent residency or citizenship before their protected status ends. For Salvadorans, that deadline is this September.
“ When Trump announced the termination
of the program, for me I felt panic and agony and desperation just to think we have to leave our child here and be forced to return.
”
Santiago Flores, Antioch resident and TPS holder Requesting to be called Santiago Flores, as many TPS holders have received threats after publicly sharing their stories, one Antioch resident recalled his escape from a violence-torn country and why he will venture to Washington D.C. in hopes of legislative reform. “The bad situation that we were leaving in our country was the reason to make me come to the U.S.,” said Flores, who lived through a civil war in El Salvador
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in the 1980s and witnessed the gang violence that festered and multiplied since that time until he fled in 2000 with his wife and 3-year-old son. “Thanks to the TPS benefit, we started to work, and I was able to give a better life to my family.” The Flores family was also able to save for a home and purchase it outright, they had another son, now a fourth-grader, and their oldest son, now 21, is attending college. Of the life they’ve built here,
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their concerns now surround their children – their youngest child, who is a U.S. citizen, and their older child, who spent the majority of his life in America and would be forced to return to a country he doesn’t know. “As we talk between TPS beneficiaries, everyone is feeling down with lack of interest in sports and other hobbies,” said Flores. “When Trump announced the termination of the program, for me I felt panic and agony and desperation just to think we have to leave our child here and be forced to return.” While his youngest son could technically return with the family, Flores said remaining with an aunt in the U.S. who is a citizen will grant him the opportunities the Flores family originally sought
Garin Elementary creates Kayla’s Korner in remembrance of student who loved books. Page 5
League Title Winners
Liberty boys’ basketball team wins league title for first time since 1985. Page 21
see Residency page 30
Calendar................................31 Classifieds.............................26 Cop Logs................................29 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Health & Beauty....................7 Milestones..............................8 Opinion..................................20 Pets.........................................25 Sports.....................................21
Pet Blood Bank
Autism Walk
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The California Pet Blood Bank Modernization Act has been introduced into legislation.
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Children and adults with autism will join the Bay Area Autism Speaks Walk.