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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 8, No. 9
Top local teachers honored by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer Three educators from the Byron Union School District – two of whom are sisters – have been named 2010-11 Teacher of the Year, and while only one will go on to compete at the county level, all agree they are already winners. “It’s quite an honor and I was really, really surprised,” said Kerry Flaherty, Teacher of the Year at Timber Point Elementary. “I love what I do; I feel very honored.” Flaherty teaches first grade, and according to Timber Point Principal Brian Burnight, she was an obvious choice for the honor. “Kerry is truly a teacher that goes above and beyond what’s expected,” said Burnight. “She’s always willing to help her students, colleagues and the parents in the community to make Timber Point a better place for her students. She’s an exceptional teacher.” Erica Hornnes teaches seventh and eighth grade math at Excelsior Middle School, and her sister Alicia Woodson is a kindergarten teacher at Discovery Bay Elementary. The close-knit sisters were surprised to be honored at the same time, but said the dual recognition mades it all the more special. “I love the idea of being nominated with
Erica Hornnes, left, and her sister Alicia Woodson are two of the Byron Union School District Teacher of the Year honorees.
Photo courtesy of Erica Hornnes
my sister because we are very close and try to do as much together as we can,” said Woodson, who lives in Clayton. “While this was totally out of our control, it really is fun to be nominated with her as well as with Kerry (Flaherty).” Discovery Bay resident Hornnes agreed. “Our grandmother was a teacher and we spent a lot of our summers in her classroom helping her set up,” she said. “She was a true inspiration
and I wish she were here today to share all our fun teaching moments with.” Excelsior Principal Charles Miller said he is proud of Hornnes’ nomination, but isn’t especially surprised. “Well, Erica (Hornnes) is just an amazing teacher,” said Miller. “She exemplifies
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February 26, 2010
This Week Stories to set in stone
Memories were mined and sorrows relived as veterans recalled the war that shaped the modern world. Page 3A
Torrid tomes Fans of Romance novels will catch an extra thrill when the writers show up to autograph their handiwork. Page 7A
Lions jilt the jinx
see Teachers page 10A
Prisoner release could challenge East County by Dave Roberts Staff Writer
Photo by Dave Roberts
David Fraser, chief of staff for County Supervisor Federal Glover, said that residents must prepare for an influx of exconvicts, possibly by the end of the year, to relieve prison overcrowding.
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Some of the 20,000-plus convicts due to be released early to relieve overcrowding in state prisons will begin arriving in East County by the end of this year or early next year, according to David Fraser, chief of staff for County Supervisor Federal Glover, speaking at last week’s meeting of the Antioch Crime Prevention Commission. “You should know that individuals coming out of prison and returning to the city, many of them actually end up going right back to prison,” Fraser said to the two dozen people at the meeting in the community room of the Antioch Police Station. This is due to “social, economic factors and some
Winter showcase go to news/WebExtras!
Special Gateway students laced ‘em up and found that ice can be nice.
individuals are simply hardcore criminals not bent on doing any thing good. They like the crazy life and doing harm.” The prisoner-release program was announced in September in response to a U.S. District Court ruling in August that state prisons, which are at nearly double their capacity, have two years to reduce overcrowding to no more than 137 percent of the prison space. That would require a reduction of about 40,000 prisoners, but Fraser believes the number returning to California communities will be about half of that. State officials responded with a three-year prisoner reduction plan that includes sending fewer see Prisoner page 18A
Student art
go to news/press releases Antioch’s Lynn House Gallery devotes major wall space to aspiring talent.
A high-achieving but playoffcursed soccer team finally posted a W when it mattered most. Page 1B
Plus: Business .............................12A Calendar ............................ 19B Classifieds ......................... 12B Cop Logs ............................15A Entertainment ................. 10B Health & Beauty ................ 6B Opinion ..............................14A Sports ................................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Epic memories
go to multimedia/videos World War II veterans helped keep the monumental events of 1945 alive.