YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 17, No. 22
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City tough College bound on illegal fireworks
June 2, 2017
Celebrating Men Today
by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
Holiday revelers planning to celebrate the Fourth of July with a fireworks display of their own are likely to experience some technical difficulties courtesy of the Oakley Police Department. Each year, the police department receives thousands of complaints from residents regarding the use of illegal fireworks near their homes and in their neighborhoods. Pets and veterans with sensitivities to noise, as well as the general public, have repeatedly had their celebrations disrupted by individuals setting off illegal fireworks. According to Oakley Chief of Police Chris Thorsen, the police department has tried a number of different approaches to
From legal counsel to retirement clubs, East County offers many avenues for success. Page 1B
Taking It One Day At A Time Photo by Tony Kukulich
F
rom left, Freedom High School seniors Sophia Navarro, Angelica Santolaya, Faith McCleod and Brooke Bridges attend the school’s letters of intent signing ceremony on Friday, May 19. To view additional photos of the event, visit www.thepress.net/multimedia.
see Fireworks page 30A
Jose Cordon found his place in the world through a program for troubled youth. Page 5A
Balfour Road widening project set to begin Falcons Fight The traveling lanes and shoulders along a 3-mile stretch of road between Sellers Avenue in Brentwood and Bixler Road in Discovery Bay will be widened to 12 feet and 6 feet, respectively, beginning in early June or July. Photo by Tony Kukulich
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
Crews will soon begin a twophase, roadway-widening project along Balfour Road in unincorporated Brentwood, which is expected to improve safety for motorists and bicyclists. The project – slated to increase the size of the travel lanes and shoulders of a 3-mile stretch of road between Sellers Avenue in Brentwood and Bixler Road in Discovery Bay – will begin in late June or early July and last until the end of November, said Adelina Huerta, project manager. The current 18- to 20-foot roadway width will be expanded to 36 feet, including a 12-footwide travel lane, 6-foot-wide shoulder and 2-foot-wide shoul-
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der backing in each direction. The stretch of roadway sees significant daily traffic as a commuter route to Highway 4. “The project will improve this segment of Balfour Road by providing standard travel lanes and shoulder widths that meet current county design standards,” said Julia R. Bueren, public works director. The work also calls for leftturn pockets to be added on the eastern and western segments of Balfour Road at the intersection of Balfour and Byron Highway,and a left-turn pocket on the western segment of Balfour at the intersection of Balfour and Bixler Roads. “The widened shoulders will provide a driver-recovery
To The End
Freedom High School softball team falls in North Coast Section semifinals. Page 23A
see Balfour page 30A
Calendar............................... 7B Classifieds..........................28A Cop Logs............................... 6B Entertainment..................13A Food.....................................12A Health & Beauty...............14A Milestones.........................21A Opinion...............................22A Pets......................................18A Sports..................................23A
New BART Chief
CCTA Partners Up
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Carlos Rojas, BART’s newest chief of police was recently sworn into office.
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CCTA has announced an exciting partnership with Scoop Technologies.