YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 16, No. 38
READ NEWS YOU CAN TRUST AT WWW.THEPRESS.NET!
September 21, 2018
Read all about it: Students launch community newspaper
Home And Garden Guide
by Aly Brown Staff Writer
Elementary school students in Discovery Bay are rolling up their sleeves, dipping their toes into the First Amendment and preparing to prove the pen is mightier than the sword. Students from the Academic Talent Program (ATP), which offers challenging and rigorous coursework for advanced children in the Byron Union School District, have set out on a literary mission: to launch a school newspaper. A group of 17 fourth- and fifth-grade pupils from Timber Point and Discovery Bay elementary schools met earlier this week to discuss the events, stories and issues they would cover as budding reporters. From school and community sports and academic events to after-school programs and the arts, the ATP students eagerly raised their hands to share ideas for stories and how they could present them to the public. “I’m probably going to write about the new library or the principal and what he’s doing at the school,” said student Jayda Seals after a lively discussion with her peers on how to run the press. The journalistic endeavor came on the heels of student feedback, and ATP lead teachers Julie Clarke and Denise Sneath suggested a student-run newspaper. “We were trying to come up with (a new
The Press offers ideas for your home, garden needs in this week’s special edition. Page 1B
Bringing On The Books
Photo by Aly Brown
Academic Talent Program students from Discovery Bay and Timber Point elementary schools will soon launch a student-led newspaper.
Brentwood’s much-anticipated new library is set to open its doors to the public. Page 4A
community project for the kids),” said Sneath. “Last year, they came up with the rock project and read ‘There’s Only One You,’ and we had the kids paint rocks. This year, we needed something new. A lot of times, we interview
Racketing Up The Wins
the students, take a survey and take their ideas and then plant the seeds of ideas. The minute we said, ‘newspaper,’ everybody was in. They see Newspaper page 26A
Fire district approves balanced budget by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board recently passed a balanced fiscal-year budget, but the need for additional resources hangs over the agency. “We are going to be well ahead of 8,000 calls this year, which tells us we need more stations,” said Fire Chief Brian Helmick, who noted that the district ran about 7,500 calls in 2017. The three-station agency, tasked with protecting over 114,000 residents and 249 square miles, projects its total revenue will
“ It is clear that property taxes cannot fully
support the district, and we have a commitment to explore other sources of income.
”
Fire board member Stephen Smith rise by about 7.8 percent this fiscal year to $16.2 million, with expenses increasing about 7.4 percent to $15.2 million. The district will end the year with an $11.2 million ending fund balance, factoring in $3.2 million in operating carryover and $8 million in excess carryover, including
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$6.2 million erroneously left behind years ago when the district transferred its funds and financial operations from the county to the district. “The excess operating revenue and operating fund balance are available to finance future inflationary operating cost increases,
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cover one-time costs for capital and equipment, bridge economic downturns, and implement strategic alternatives currently being studied as part of the district’s strategic planning imitative,” said Helmick. About $15,550,672 (96 percent of the district’s fiscal-year revenue) will come from property taxes, with the district’s largest expense (personnel costs) rising by about 10.7 percent to $10,464,966, or 69 percent of the district’s expenses. About 40 percent of that $10.5 million will go toward salaries and
Heritage girls’ tennis team is on pace to win seventh-straight league title. Page 19A
see Fire page 26A
Calendar.............................27A Classifieds..........................24A Cop Logs.............................17A Education.............................7A Entertainment..................11A Food.....................................10A Health & Beauty...............12A Milestones.........................18A Pets......................................22A Sports..................................19A
New Schedules
DOJ Grant
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Tri Delta Transit Bus schedule to change, effective September 30.
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Department of Justice grant provides antiviolence funding for new project.