YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Sunday, Nov. 5th
Vol. 15, No. 44
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Homicide suspect in custody by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
Detectives from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff have arrested a suspect in the homicide of Bradley MacHugh of Discovery Bay. According to officials, Brayan Zavala, 19, of Antioch, was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon. No other information was available at press time. MacHugh, 48, died of multiple gunshot wounds Sunday, Oct. 29, following an altercation in Discovery Bay. At 12:43 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a shooting near Keats Court. As deputies arrived on the scene, another call reported a man shot on nearby Wilde Drive. The victim, MacHugh, was later pronounced dead. According to detectives, MacHugh was involved in a verbal altercation with the occupants in two vehicles over reckless driving, which became physical. It is believed that Zavala produced a gun and shot MacHugh. A website was launched this week to
Photo courtesy of Officer of the Sheriff
Brayan Zavala, 19, of Antioch, was taken into custody in connection with the homicide of Discovery Bay resident Bradley MacHugh. help the family with funeral costs and expenses. As of press time, nearly $19,000
had been raised. By all accounts, MacHugh was a wellliked, generous family man who loved football, barbecues and his wife, Lanie, and two young boys. “I am simply in awe of the kindness and generosity of everyone . . . even complete strangers,” said Lanie in an email to The Press. Kelly Wall, a friend of the family, said everyone is still reeling from the tragedy. “The family and the community are still in shock over this devastating loss of their wonderful husband, father, brother, son, uncle, friend,” she said. “He will be dearly missed.” Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Zavala, is asked to contact the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division at 925404-4200. To leave an anonymous tip, email tips@so.cccounty.us or call 866-8463592. To donate to the MacHugh family, visit www.youcaring.com/ machugh-995064. To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
Outage ignites school controversy by Dawnmarie Fehr Correspondent
An electrical outage in Byron last week ended the school day for students at Excelsior Middle School but sparked a controversy among some parents who felt the Byron Union School District (BUSD) could have done more to alert parents of the situation. The outage on Thursday, Oct. 26, was caused by a tractortrailer that struck a utility pole producing a power surge that traveled across the grid in Byron and Discovery Bay. Left without power, internet access or a working phone system, Excelsior ran a fire drill. The students evacuated classrooms and waited outside. BUSD Superintendent Debbie Gold
“ We had a fire marshal on campus and …
followed our emergency response protocol. Everyone was safe.
”
BUSD Superintendent Debbie Gold then decided to send students home for the day. But without power, the school was unable to contact parents with any information. “I was not notified by the school. I was notified by my daughter,” said Discovery Bay resident Kim Bellini. “She texted that everyone was being sent home. I was one of the first parents to arrive; it was about eleven o’clock. At first, they were making us check out our students, but after about 20
minutes, they just let everybody go. I think they realized they didn’t have the man power to check out 600 kids one by one.” Many parents have turned to social media to criticize the school’s handling of this incident. While some received calls from teachers, most heard about the evacuation from their children. Bill Weber is another parent who received information from his son rather than the school. In an email to Gold and
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The Press, Weber expressed his concern at the school’s lack of supervision, communication and emergency preparedness. “Why is it that at the end of the day, I still haven’t been notified by Excelsior about what happened and what I need to do to pick up my child?” Weber wrote. “The only notification I received was from my son via text message.” By 5 p.m., the school sent a general email to parents, informing them of the power outage and evacuation. But the email did not explain why the evacuation was called for. Gold responded to Weber’s email, assuring him that the school does have an emergency plan in place. see Outage page 30A
Trees Of Light
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Hospice of the East Bay presents annual tree lighting ceremonies.
November 3, 2017
Here Come The Holidays
This week’s special edition offers tips for making the holidays happy and bright. Page 1B
Teammates Since Birth
A group of Heritage High football players have fans doing a double and triple take. Page 4A
Smashing The Competition
Freedom, Liberty tennis teams take singles and doubles titles in league championships. Page 23A Calendar.............................31A Classifieds..........................27A Cop Logs.............................29A Entertainment..................10A Food.....................................11A Health & Beauty...............12A Milestones.........................15A Pets........................................ 7B Sports..................................23A
New HR Chief
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East Bay Regional Park District welcomes new HR district chief.