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Vol. 9, No. 48
YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Dog park, fire tax, Light it up hoops on CSD agenda by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
Residents will soon get a chance to weigh in on Discovery Bay’s proposed plans for an off-leash dog park. A community meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Timber Point Elementary School. Conceptual designs will be presented for two potential sites. The first is a turf area on the east side of Slifer Park; the other is a landscaped area north of the Park & Ride lot on Bixler Road. Ongoing maintenance, preliminary budgets and estimated timelines will also be discussed. “We’ve received resident support and requests for a local dog park and understand that there is a real need for one,” said CSD President Kevin Graves. “This is just the first step in making the project a reality. Making it a successful one will take input from our community. We encourage residents to participate in this community forum.” A town hall meeting focused on fire protection is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in Discovery Bay Elemen-
tary School. According to East Contra Costa County Fire Protection Chief Hugh Henderson, it will be the first in a series of community outreach forums. “We are inviting the (CSD) board and members of the community to some outreach meetings that we will be starting as plans for the parcel tax move forward,” said Henderson. “We really hope the community will be present to hear what is going on with the fire district as we move forward.” A new fire district representative was also recently named to represent Discovery Bay and surrounding areas. Cheryl Morgan, who was appointed by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, will replace former representative John Jewell. In other Discovery Bay news, groundbreaking on the new Regatta Park basketball court began this week, bringing to a close the nearly two-year effort to secure a high-schoolregulation court in the park. “We’ve finally broken ground and now we’re going to have a basketball court,” said CSD Director Brian Dawson. “It’s great news.”
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December 2, 2011
Cream of the court
The opening tipoff isn’t far off, and our BVAL Basketball Preview spotlights the stars and sizes up the teams. Page 1B
Press file photo
iscovery Bay’s parade of lights comes to town this weekend decked out in the Holiday Movie theme. The ninth annual event pushes off from the Discovery Bay Marina on Saturday at 6 p.m. The popular parade draws thousands of visitors each year, and will culminate in the town’s tree lighting plus pictures with Santa at the Discovery Bay Shopping Center.
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Holiday atrocity Oakley’s Christmas Basket event suffered a blow when a burglar made off with $4,000 worth of toys and food. Page 3A
Manual for merriment
A special Thanksgiving homecoming by Rick Lemyre Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of JP Morgan Chase Bank
Wounded Iraq veteran Ricky France and wife Shannon stand inside their new Brentwood home with their children. From left are Arreanna, Arhyia, Micah, Destiny and Jon. The family was given the house, free and clear, by the Military Warrior Support Network and JP Morgan Chase Bank.
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For wounded Iraq war veteran Ricky France and his family, Nov. 5 was a roller coaster ride. The home he and wife Shannon rented in Loomis had been lost to foreclosure and, unable to find an affordable replacement, they and their five children faced homelessness in four days. Arrangements to move to a shelter had been made, and movers had arrived to take their belongings to storage. That’s when the phone call came: The Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) was on the line to tell the Frances they were being given, mortgage-free, a fivebedroom house in Brentwood. “He was speechless and I was crying,” Shannon recalled. “I
Laptop largesse go to news/WebExtras!
A computer distribution program is giving digital literacy a boost.
kept thinking, ‘I’m not going to be homeless!’” The family, including Jon, 15; Destiny, 9; Erreanna, 8; Arhvia, 6; and Micah, 5, moved into the six-year-old house the day before Thanksgiving. “It’s beautiful; amazing,” said Ricky this week. “I’m still amazed and shocked.” Founded in 2007 by retired Gen. Leroy Sisco, the MWSF provides a variety of services aimed at helping veterans transition from the military to civilian life. In March of 2010 the organization embarked on its most ambitious effort, to give 1,000 wounded veterans free houses to within five years. “One of our biggest hurdles is convincing people that it’s real,” said see Homecoming page 15A
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Shell Oil has donated $10K to a Los Medanos College industrial training program.
Hook up with seasonal charities and entertainment by checking out our lineup of December events. Page 8A Arts .....................................10A Business ............................. 25B Calendar ............................ 27B Classifieds ......................... 20B Cop Logs ............................ 26B Entertainment ................. 15B Food .................................... 14B Milestones ........................ 12B Opinion ..............................16A Sports .................................19A FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
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Local shoppers braved the cold – and fellow shoppers’ elbows – on Black Friday.