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YOUR HOMETOWN NEWS | SERVING EAST COUNTY
Vol. 24, No. 21
Fire season now year round Experts blame climate change
East Contra Costa Fire Protection District firefighters battle a vegetation fire in Oakley in early May. Local and state firefighting officials now consider the state’s firefighting season to be year round.
by Melissa van Ruiten Staff Writer
REGIONAL Year after year, for nearly the last decade, California has endured its “worst fire season in history.” The last two years have seen both the most destructive wildfire season (2020) and the largest individual wildfire (2021) in the state’s history. In 2021, over 3 million acres— a total nearly the size of Connecticut— burned, according to Climatewire.com. The previous year still holds the record, however, with a total of 4.3 million acres ravaged by wildfire. The CalFire and U.S. Forest Service combined number of fires for 2022 have already reached 2,021, with 9,152 acres burned, according to CalFire’s website. The culprit? Climate change. Wildfire season, which has traditionally been from May to October, has begun creeping ear-
Photo by Melissa van Ruiten
lier and extending longer each year, according to some climate experts, who suggest that California is now in a perpetual fire season because of little rain, rising global temperatures, and parched vegetation. “There’s no ‘season’ anymore,” said East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ross Macumber. “It’s
all year round, with drought, especially in Northern California. We’re not quite used to a year round fire season, but it’s here.” Macumber is a 26-year veteran who says he’s watched the drought-driven change occur. “When I first started in the fire service, red flag days in May were very uncommon,” Macumber said. “I think we’ve had them
for the last 3 years straight.” Fire crews used to be able to put their wildfire gear away around Halloween and not have to pick it back up until June, he said. Now, he says, departments are typically putting the gear away in December and having to pick it back up again as early as see Fire season page 22A
Alexis Gabe fund increases to $100,000 OAKLEY The Oakley City Council moved to create a permanent fund to assist investigators with high-profile crimes as part of the May 24 meeting. The establishment of the fund was originally in response to the disappearance of Oakley resident Alexis Gabe. The council increased its contribution from 10,000 to $50,000 at the meeting. An anonymous donor previously pledged $50,000, allowing the fund to now sit at $100,000. Although the amount being pledged by the city is due to the January disappearance of Gabe, the council elected to adopt a permanent fund as part of the municipal code rather than leaving it as a one-time action. “As we are creating this, the city manager and the [police] chief are going to be creat-
ing this program,” Mayor Randy Pope said at the meeting. “I want it to be created so that $50,000 is perpetual. If it’s not used, it stays in the fund and hopefully we never have to use it again. But if, God forbid, something happens, we have some other high-profile crime, that asset is there for the investigators.” The motion to update the language in the municipal code to establish the $50,000 reward fund passed 4-1 with Vice Mayor Aaron Meadows opposed. Alexis Gabe, 25, was first reported missing “under suspicious circumstances” on Jan. 27. Her last known location was Benttree Way, Antioch. Her car was found by her cousins with the keys in the ignition on Trenton Street in Oakley, according to her family.
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Thorpe charged with DUI by Jake Menez Staff Writer
ANTIOCH The Contra Costa County District Attorney announced the charges brought against Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe following his March 19 arrest. “Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe was charged with two Misdemeanor counts of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol on April 1, 2022,” the press release stated. According to the press release, the District Attorney’s office received a referral from the California Highway Patrol on March 23 on two violations of California Vehicle Code. Thorpe was pulled over by CHP on Interstate 680 in Concord on March 19 at 1:15 a.m., according to the agency’s statement later that day. Officers conducted a DUI investigation and Thorpe was arrested for suspected driving under the influence of alcohol, the agency said. The legal blood alcohol level for a DUI arrest in California is .08 or higher. Following the incident, Thorpe released a recorded statement on his Facebook page on March 20. “I wanted to come before you today because I wanted to share some personal news,” he said in the video. “Last night, after having dinner with a friend, I was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol and cited for driving under the influence. For that, I take full responsibility. Under the advice of counsel, I am limited in what I can share with you, but I see Thorpe page 22A
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“We hope these additional reward funds will lead us to Ms. Gabe’s whereabouts,” said Police Chief Paul Beard. “The Alexis Gabe case continues to consume the Oakley Police Department. Our team is working day and night to bring a resolution to her family.” According to Oakley officials, the reward funds will be distributed based on the information provided to investigators. Up to $100,000 will be awarded for direct information leading to Gabe’s whereabouts. Lesser amounts may be provided for other tips beneficial to the investigation, the city said in a news release. Anyone with information on Gabe’s whereabouts is asked to call 925-6257009 or Alexistips@ci.oakley.ca.us. To comment, visit www.thepress.net
May 27, 2022
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