YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 16, No. 7
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Spelling their way to victory by Aly Brown Staff Writer
Photo by Aly Brown
Spelling bee finalists Lana Harbert and John Parlog, with winner Romey Wingard. Romey will go on to the county spelling bee on March 24 in Walnut Creek.
It was a big day for a handful of Discovery Bay Elementary students as they found a seat on the stage for the school’s spelling bee. Classes filed in and sat to watch as 20 children from third, fourth and fifth grade went head-to-head, spelling words that ranged from ‘pouted’ to ‘aqueduct.’ Fifth-grade teacher Juan Gonzalez was the organizer for the school’s bee this year and also served as the pronouncer, reading the words and in some cases providing a definition or using the word in a sentence. He said the process began in November, during which time the school had to register with Scripps National Spelling Bee to enter competition that could possibly take Discovery Bay students to nationals in Washington D.C. “There was no way I could have done this on my own. I’m very thankful for my two judges, Denise Sneath
and Serena Wright,” Gonzalez said. “They were verifying the spellers’ responses and to see if my pronunciation was correct … The third-, fourth- and fifth-grade teachers were so supportive. They were in charge of conducting their own classroom spelling bees, in which the top two class winners went on to the school bee.” On the big day, each child stood at the microphone and waited for Gonzalez to issue their challenge word. Some carried a pencil and paper and wrote it down before stating the word, spelling it out and stating it once more to signify their final answer. One child was nearly eliminated when a judge raised the red card too soon and she was allowed to spell another word, which she spelled correctly. Another child, fourth-grader Romey Wingard, saw the dreaded red card during an early round of the bee see Spelling page 26
Changes coming to California WaterFix by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
A radical change in scope for the California WaterFix project has tunnels opponents calling for the state to scrap the permit approval and begin anew. In a memo dated Feb. 7, Karla Nemeth, director of the DWR, announced that WaterFix will be developed in two stages. The first stage will include a single tunnel and two intakes with a capacity of 6,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The second phase will add another tunnel and a third intake expanding the capacity to 9,000 cfs. “The Department of Water Resources is trying to sell its latest WaterFix revision as a one-tunnel plan, but that is smoke and mirrors,” argued State Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D - Discovery Bay). “Their plan still calls for two tunnels. The new plan still poses the same threat to the Delta’s environment, agricultural economy and way of life. There still is no cost-benefit analysis or economic
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February 16, 2018
A Pickleball Success
Brentwood pickleballers celebrate installment of official city courts. Page 10
Building A Village
Village Community Resource Center recognizes local student for volunteer efforts. Page 5
Local Rivals Share Title
Heritage and Liberty girls’ soccer teams share title after Patriots win final BVAL game. Page 17 Photo by Tony Kukulich
Proposed changes to the California WaterFix project have opponents calling for a revision of the overall permit process. justification for the project. The project still does not create a single ounce of new water.” The previous version of the WaterFix project plan did not include a phased approach. It called for three intakes and two tunnels, each with 4,500 cfs capacity, to
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FEBRUARY 19, 2018
draw water from the Delta just south of Sacramento. The water would be conveyed 30 miles south through the tunnels measuring 40 feet in diameter and buried 150 feet below
Ballots for Measure A, the special mail-in election ballot, which will determine if the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board of Directors will decrease from 9 members to 5, are due on or before March 6. For more information, visit www.eccfpd.org
see WaterFix page 26
New Director
www.thepress.net/news/webextras
County board of supervisors announce new public works director.
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