YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 17, No. 23
READ THE DAILY NEWS AT WWW.THEPRESS.NET
Canal to change hands
Swimming to first place
by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
Construction of the Contra Costa Canal began in 1937 as part of the Central Valley Project under the auspices of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, but efforts are now underway to transfer ownership of the aging canal to the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD). Transferring the canal to local control is likely good news for the 500,000 residents of East and Central Contra Costa County who depend upon the 48-mile-long canal for at least a portion of their water supply. “The tunnel transfer is a really good thing regarding local control, because the Bureau has owned the title, while we
June 7, 2019
Generation Of Volunteers
First Generation Farmers welcomes public to first volunteer event. Page 6A
Photo by Dawnmarie Fehr
L
ast weekend, the Discovery Bay River Otters recreational swim team won first place in the Tracy Invitational swim meet. Going up against five other teams from the Mid Valley Swim League, the River Otters dominated the pool with many top three placements despite their smaller numbers. “Our team has been working so hard this year, and I’m very proud of these athletes,” said head coach Heidi McMillan. “They have improved so much over a short period of time.” In addition to the team placing first overall, Claire Kane took first place in the girls 15-16 division, McKayla MacDonald took first in girls 13-14 division, and Gino Rigoni took first place in the boys 6 and under division. The team will head to Manteca this weekend to go head to head against the Manteca Dolphins.
see Canal page 22A
Heritage’s top students off to Stanford by Aly Brown
Turning The Tassles
Students at La Paloma High School celebrate the annual rite of passage. Page 20A
Angling For The Prize
Correspondent
East County watched the school year come to a close this week, and Sahil Chandra and Lucas Bosman — named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of Brentwood’s Heritage High School — made their families, teachers and community proud. Sahil graduated with a cumulative GPA of 4.47, ranking him No. 1 for the Class of 2019. He played varsity tennis all four years of high school, serving as his team’s co-captain. He graduated as vice president of the National Honor Society and was selected as a delegate for the California American Legion Boys State for his school. He is a member of a tobacco-use prevention committee, CourAGE Youth Health Coalition, through the Contra Costa County Board of Education and has tutoried with Educated Angels. He named as two of his favorite teachers Mrs. Irwin, who taught AP U.S. History, and Mr. Valdivia, a Spanish educator.
SAVE NOW
Logan Huntze, 19, takes all at prestigious fishing tournament as youngest participant. Page 1B
CHANDRA
BOSMAN
“To be named the valedictorian of Heritage High is a great honor,” Sahil said. “I didn’t care much about the title at first, but looking back at these past four years, it feels very rewarding. I hope me getting this title proves that anyone can accomplish whatever they set their mind to. I credit my family,
friends, teachers and amazing SLC for aiding my successes. Without them, my high school experience would’ve meant nothing!” Sahil was accepted to several prestigious schools, including Stanford Universi-
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see Students page 22A
Calendar............................. 11B Classifieds............................ 5B Cop Logs............................... 9B Education ............................7A Entertainment.................... 9A Food....................................... 8A Milestones.........................19A Opinion...............................16A Pets......................................17A Sports.................................... 1B
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