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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 14, No. 40
PG&E explains outage
Outdoor Ed update
by Dawnmarie Fehr Correspondent
After eight months of investigation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has determined the cause of the gas outage that occurred on Dec. 27, leaving roughly 5600 customers without gas service. An investigation conducted in conjunction with two outside agencies found that moisture made its way into the gas lines, causing pressure fluctuations that set off alarms, which led to the system being shut down for safety reasons. PG&E Spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said that procedures have been put in place to prevent this from happening again. “We installed a heating element to prevent icing on the equipment,” Sarkissian said. “We provided training for operators to reinforce their safety measures. We absolutely want to make sure that this does not happen again anywhere in our system and take proactive steps to ensure that.” Nick Stimmel, part of the PG&E communications team, said that a report on the cause of the outage has been compiled and presented to the necessary entities. “PG&E has prepared a root-cause analysis and
September 30, 2016
Letting The Dogs Out
Antioch High School’s crosscountry team works out with city shelter dogs. Page 5
Popular Mail Carrier Retires Photo by Dawnmarie Fehr
M
embers of Excelsior Middle School’s Sixth grade class appeared at the Byron Union School District’s (BUSD) last meeting to talk about their four-day science curriculum experience at Walden West in Saratoga. This program was recently brought back after a hiatus of several years, through a combined effort of the BUSD board and staff. Debbie Gold, BUSD superintendent, was grateful for the return of the program. “Thank you to the teachers who promoted this amazing experience, and thank you to the governing school board for approving outdoor education for the Byron sixth-grade students,” Gold said. “This is an enriching experience that the students will remember forever.”
see PG&E page 26
Longtime Brentwood mail carrier Kris Lue, said farewell to customers and route. Page 4
Homecoming Victory
Town forum addresses Delta water issues by Dawnmarie Fehr Correspondent
Contra Costa County Supervisor Mary Piepho, along with local and state officials, hosted a town hall meeting Tuesday night to update residents on the aquatic weed and blue-green algae issues plaguing Discovery Bay. Approximately 50 residents were in attendance at the event, which was held at Discovery Bay Elementary School. The good news, according to Dr. Marilyn Underwood, director of Contra Costa County Environmental Health, is that the algae is better than it was earlier in the sum-
“ The results are better … they are not all clear, though. We won’t be changing our no-swim advisory or removing any signage.
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Dr. Marilyn Underwood, director of Contra Costa County Environmental Health mer – but the not-so-good news is that the waters are far from clear. “The results were better than those taken in July,” said Underwood of more than 20 samples taken from the waters of Discovery Bay. “They are not all clear, though. We won’t be changing our no-swim
advisory or removing any signage.” Results included toxins at all four possible levels – clear, caution, warning and danger. County criteria call for two sets of samples taken about two weeks apart. “This latest set does not qualify as clear,” Underwood said. “Al-
though, visually, the water is looking better.” Appearing with Underwood was Dr. Peggy Lehman, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Lehman’s data showed that the drought has increased problems in the Delta in the last two years and that blue-green algae blooms are increasing the mortality rate of local wildlife, such as the Delta smelt. “The Delta has seen a sharp decline in wildlife,” Lehman said. “There are multiple causes, and the drought hasn’t helped. We are worksee Water page 26
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Heritage High School takes down Berkeley in a 56-20 homecoming win. Page 17 Calendar................................27 Classifieds.............................22 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Health & Beauty..................12 Milestones............................13 Opinion..................................16 Pets...........................................8 Sports.....................................17
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East County Shared Ministry celebrates October with several events.