The prestigious Friends of Music series continues with its’ second installment of the year on November 20th at 4 p.m. at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church at 3351 Contra Loma Blvd. in Antioch.

William Vaughn, one of the finest organists in the Bay Area, is the featured performer. Director of Music and Organist for St. Pascal Baylon Church in Oakland and Assistant Organist for the Cathedral of Light, Mr Vaughn will perform “A Harvest Festival of Fall Music” on the magnificent Rodgers Trillium Masterpiece Pipe/Digital organ. Each piece will highlight a feast, festival or civic commemoration that is part of the last days of the liturgical year: All Saints All Souls, Christ the King. Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Advent.

A free will offering will be received to defray the cost of the concert and champagne reception to follow. For more information or to be put on the mailing list for future events call Walter Ruehlg at (925) 756-7628 or e-mail walter.ruehlig@gmail.com.

150 people participated in the annual Our Lady of Fatima Prayer Crusade held at Williamson Park in Antioch on October 14th. The vigil coincided with some 3,000 prayer events held that day in parks and plazas throughout America. The event was organized by Mike and Evelyn Isidro.
(Photo by Doris Radovan).

By Amy Claire

In difficult economic times, people cut back. Often, one of the first things to go is the perceived luxury of Internet service. Unfortunately, with job applications, bill payments and loan information primarily available online, the lack of a computer cripples many attempts to recover from financial trouble.

Local business owner Tricia Simmons experienced this first-hand. “I couldn’t even look for a job without going to my best friend’s house,” she remembers. “We live in a world where the Internet is everything.”

After realizing that she was not the only person in her situation, she decided to open a store to provide computer time for people without home Internet. Her business, T’s Internet Café, started with a single machine in a single room, but grew to include seventy computers in a spacious, colorfully decorated business suite. When the computers started filling up and customers had to wait, Simmons opened Cot on the Web, a second location with twenty-five computers.

At the two stores, computer time costs 25 cents per minute, though purchased time comes with a chance to play a sweepstakes to win more time. The sweepstakes brings the charge down to about $5 per half hour. Copying, printing and faxing are available for a small fee. Cot on the Web has a private room that can be used for filling out sensitive information or attending online job interviews. Headphones and webcams are provided, allowing customers to chat with friends and family over Skype. Friendly employees are available to teach simple computer tasks, such as how to set up an email account.

“I feel that I’m helping the community,” said Simmons, who uses local vendors for most of her business needs. Her stores provide safe places for computerless individuals to search for jobs, apply for unemployment, sign up for rehab and file taxes. T’s Internet Café is open twenty-four hours a day to accommodate all work schedules, and security guards maintain customer safety. Simmons doesn’t allow any guests under the age of eighteen so that minors can’t use her stores to break their parents’ Internet rules, though she does give a fifty percent discount to college students who use the computers to complete schoolwork.

T’s Internet Café and Cot on the Web cater to more than business needs. Many people use the computers to check Facebook or watch videos on Youtube. Simmons is also exploring the possibility of hosting computer gaming parties.

“I’ve had a lot of help. I’ve been lucky,” she said. “I have an amazing staff.” She attributes her success to the support of the people around her, and to her persistent drive to succeed. “I didn’t think failing was an option. It was going to work one way or another.”

T’s Internet Café is located at 1908 A Street in Antioch, open 24 hours a day. Call 925-522-0801. Cot on the Web is located at 2333 Buchanan Street, Suite A, in Antioch, open from 11 am to 6 am. Call 925-778-7002.

On October 21 at 5:33 a.m. Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to the Chevron gas station located at 3400 Hillcrest Avenue on a report of an armed robbery that just occurred.

Officers obtained both a suspect and suspect vehicle description and broadcasted the information to surrounding law enforcement agencies. Within moments of the broadcast, Antioch officers located the vehicle and attempted to conduct an enforcement stop. The vehicle failed to yield to the officers and a lengthy vehicle pursuit ensued.

The pursuit took officers onto Highway 4 several times (in both directions) as well as surface streets in both Antioch and Oakley. Once in Oakley, Oakley PD officers assisted in the pursuit and began to follow the vehicle on to Big Break. While on Big Break, the suspect vehicle attempted to intentionally ram both Oakley and Antioch Police Vehicles.

One Oakley PD vehicle was struck by the suspect vehicle while one Antioch PD vehicle was run off the road. The pursuit culminated with the suspect vehicle losing control as it attempted to go off road and overturned. The suspected exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended by an Antioch officer.

The suspect, a white male adult, 27, was transported to a local area hospital with what was described by medical personnel as serious but not life threatening injuries. Upon being medically cleared he will be booked into the county jail on several felony charges. No citizens or officers were injured during this incident.

The name of the suspect, as well as the property taken during the robbery, are not being disclosed at this time so as to preserve the integrity of the investigation. It should be noted that during the pursuit officers were able to determine that the suspect vehicle had in fact been reported as stolen several days earlier out of Antioch.

There’s been a lot of criticism about the amount of taxpayer money spent to send numerous Bay Area transit officials to attend the annual American Public Transportation Agency (APTA) conference in New Orleans.

Attending were 4 elected BART directors (Board President Bob Franklin, VP John McPartland, Directors Joel Keller and Gail Murray) plus 9 BART employees, 8 Tri Delta Transit board members, including Antioch Mayor Jim Davis and County Supervisor Federal Glover, plus 3 staffers (a 9th board member Mary Erbez paid her own way), 5 County Connection board members and 2 executives, 2 board members and 1 staffer from A.C. Transit (2 other employees went but the agency didn’t pay their costs) and no board members and just one employee from Wheels, the Tri-Valley transit counterpart.

This year’s annual conference was held in conjunction with EXPO 2011 as it is every 3 years. Supposedly, the purpose of the EXPO is for suppliers to provide information regarding new products and promote public transportation. The website contains all usual propaganda, for example, public transit supports the national goal of energy independence, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, reduced traffic congestion, health and wellness and provides innovative energy solutions.

The next one APTA/EXPO in 2014 is being held in Houston, Texas which hopefully won’t hold the same allure, leading to another abuse of taxpayer dollars.

BART spent the most bucks sending 4 Directors and 9 staff members on the New Orleans trip and frankly, it has the weakest excuse because they’ve already chosen the supplier of their new fleet. If you check out their web site, you’ll find a link to their New Train Car Project site which contains a photo of BART’s Fleet of the Future, new train cars designed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA.

All the details are there, for example, 50 seats on cab cars and 68 seats in other cars, easier to clean, wipe able seats, clean, durable non-slip floors – no musty carpets, handholds and poles mounted on seat backs, bike racks on some train cars etc.

NOTE: In another blow to taxpayers, The Bay Area Toll Authority, an affiliate of MTC, voted 8 to 6 to give Metropolitan Transportation Commission the go ahead to spend $93 million dollars, funded in part by bridge toll money, for a new headquarters in San Francisco.

Incidentally, MTC is seeking approval for another 290 miles of combined toll and carpool lanes in the Bay Area and is contemplating polling voters for a possible ballot measure next year to raise gas taxes in the Bay Area by up to 10 cents per gallon to pay for roads, freeways and public transit.

Fortunately the ballot measure would require 2/3 approval of voters in the region and I can’t imagine happening in this faltering economy.

By Ray Faulkenberry

I have known the owner of the Bases Loaded Restaurant Bar since I was in 7th grade. Terry Karp is his name and let me tell you a little about Terry. He was a stellar three-sport athlete, excelling in football, basketball and baseball.

More than that, Terry was and is a genuinely nice guy. I can honestly say that playing the same three sports there weren’t a lot of nice guys – at least not like Terry. Although Terry and I weren’t great friends in high school as we ran around with different people, I always enjoyed him on every team I ever played.

When I heard that Terry would be opening up the restaurant, I grew excited that not only somebody I knew was opening a restaurant, but the fact that it was a sports bar and restaurant made it that much better. Although Terry opened up in August of 2009, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
“We struggle like any other business, but we’ve developed a good, core group of people who like the food, the music and the atmosphere,” Terry said.

Terry is not one to rest on his laurels. He spent countless hours planning, designing and doing the necessary paperwork with the city to realize his dream. He received a restaurant incentive grant, which gave him $300,000 to help with the creation of the restaurant. While that grant helped a lot, Terry has spent lots of his own as well as his family’s money to make Bases Loaded the incredible place that it is.

“We didn’t have a design like a McDonald’s or a Burger King in which you could just go in and cookie-cut the place out,” he said. “I had to go through a lot of meetings to get city approvals, use permits, inspections and such. It’s taken a lot of work.”

He recently put in an ultra-modern juke box, an “old-school” pinball machine and a couple of pool tables. Although I liked Bases Loaded the way that it was, this new version has a more vibrant atmosphere. It feels even more alive and interactive. “They’ve been a big hit, as people like to listen to the music of their choosing, and playing pool and pinball is something so many people like to do,” said Terry.

Terry is even considering incorporating video games that could be played by the family on one of his many large screens.

Terry has one of the largest dance floors in the area and he brings in some incredible musicians on the weekend that cover a wide range of music. You can hear dance music from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s that make it very easy to get up and dance to. I know that the last time I danced was at Terry’s place while listening to a wonderful cover band that played the music I listened to in high school – and yes, it was the disco era! Bases Loaded will also be featuring a Country Western Night starting in the new year.

It is not easy in this economy to launch any new business, and restaurants are not easy in any economy! It took great courage to undertake this project, and it’s been a lot more work than Terry anticipated. However, knowing Terry the way that I do, I can tell you without asking him that when it became more work than he thought, he rolled up his sleeves, got creative and began pushing harder to achieve the success he wanted.

I believe in this day and time that it is vitally important to get out and support our local businesses. It has to do with sharing ourselves and supporting the business in our community. How we evolve, grow, and prosper in business AND life is to get out and interact with the world. We share ideas and support the dreams of our friends. We encourage them to improve as we also look to also improve.

If you are a fan of sports, come down and spend some time with Terry. Try some of his killer nachos. Tell him I sent you. You can even make him feel good by saying you forgive him (and me) for going to a rival high school in Concord – Clayton Valley.

Bases Loaded is located at 400 G Street in downtown Antioch and it’s open on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday from noon to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Ray Faulkenberry, Ph.D. is a business analyst, consultant, author, coach, and entrepreneur. Log onto his website through 2011 and receive his books on success, leadership, and transformation for free. He can be reached at www.rayfaulkenberry.com or rayfaulkenberry@comcast.net.

By Ray Faulkenberry

When I was a kid I can’t say that I was a big fan of museums. They seemed boring as I looked at paintings, or sculptures – things I wasn’t very interested in at the time.

A few months back my wife, Linda, displayed one of her paintings at the Antioch Historical Museum located at 1500 W. Fourth Street in downtown. I remember turning into the building and saying, “I’ve been around Antioch since 1977 and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen this.” Granted, the location is where Fourth Street bends around and heads downtown (depending on which way you’re coming), and I guess I just paid attention to the turn and didn’t bother to catch the historical building with the beautiful lawn on the corner.

When we went in to pick up her painting, I went inside and quickly was taken aback by the layout of the place. It had rooms that were labeled things like “Library,” “Bride’s Room,” “Theatre,” “Family Room,” “Child’s Room,” “Saloon,” “City Hall” and “Delta Room.” We only had a few minutes as they were closing, so I quickly sped through the rooms, fascinated by the history.

Linda was talking with someone about her painting, and so I wandered downstairs and got your typical guy’s dream: A Sports Hall of Fame. I only had about five minutes and so I could only briefly peruse the exhibits. But as they ushered us out, I was literally blown away by what I had found right here in Antioch.

Fast forward and when asked to write an article about the Antioch Historical Museum by the paper, I jumped on it. I called and left a message about what I wanted to do, and shortly thereafter got a return call from a gentleman named Bob Martin. Bob, an enthusiastic soul, took me on a lengthy tour of the facility. On this go-round, however, I not only got to take the time to look closely at what amazing facts and artifacts were in the museum, I also got a first-hand tour by someone who not only loved the museum, but loved Antioch as well!

There were so many things to do and see here that I knew I could spend all day in the museum and still not see it all. What was also appealing was this wasn’t just any other museum – it was OUR museum, Antioch’s! This is the history of the town that we live in and let me tell you, we have a rich, wild history.

Where else can you get to look at AND PLAY WITH an authentic telephone operator’s switchboard! This was the kind of switchboard where they take one plug and hooked it into another and each person’s number was only three digits! The “City Hall” room has records, ledgers, and documents about industry and business over the last hundred years or so. You can pull these huge old books down and actually look at the facts and figures contained within!

They have a small theatre in which some of the seats, carpet, and memorabilia from our very own Campanil Theatre create this intimate little setting. It seats thirty people and you can see and touch the actual OLD projector that showed the film.

I had only planned to be there for a half an hour or so but after two hours I was still thrilled with the history of Antioch and how I could get up close and personal with these incredible artifacts.

However, being the jock that I am, I was excited to once again go downstairs and look at the Sports Legend Hall of Fame. This hall of fame can stand up to anybody’s in the state. It is an incredible tribute to the athletes that have come through Antioch in its rich history. There is a section for Deer Valley as well as Antioch High School. There are awards, pictures and memorabilia of people who have gone on to play professional sports. Gino Marchetti, an NFL Hall of Famer, went to Antioch High School along with many other great athletes from various sports!

I loved the replica barber shop that sits in one corner of the Hall of Fame. It is totally authentic and the type of barber shop that most adult men (granted, over 50!) grew up in. This is often where the men went to not only get their hair cut, but to also hang out and talk sports with their friends. Television monitors with incredible images bring a modern touch to the Hall of Fame and is truly deserving of being among the best in the state.

I could go on and on about what is in the museum MEMORABILIA-WISE. However, what is of equal value are the truly incredibly living souls that donate their time to act as docents to the museum. Not only was Bob an amazing host, in addition he introduced me to Liz Rimbault whose nephew I went to school with and played ball with at, dare I say, a rival high school called Clayton Valley. (Please don’t boo – I found my way to the correct side of the hill!)

Anyway, Liz is another soul who is full of information, facts and, what I liked best, stories! Liz introduced me to Laura Jacques, another sweet soul who, when it comes to setting up displays, is the Michelangelo of memorabilia arrangement. These souls not only are wonderfully intelligent and entertaining people – they care.

They cared enough to write a grant, so that when the school district ran out of money to transport the kids by bus to come to the museum, they could still provide transportation so that all the kids in third grade in Antioch can come and witness this amazing museum. That’s the kind of people associated with the museum.

It is at this point that I have a few points here I want to make.

• In a time when we are racing around in our lives, on computers, going to work, raising families, and staying very busy, now is the time to also reflect on where we as a community have come from. Community is so very important and if we don’t as individuals practice it, we will continue to fragment ourselves away into our own little world and the sense of community will become extinct.

• Go to the museum in the town that you live in. It is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

• Make sure you have one of the amazing souls who are full of stories, insights, and tidbits of information take you on a tour as they can tell you so much more than the fascinating things you may see and find on your own.

• Did I mention that it is FREE? Their brochure says that the price of admission is merely your curiosity.

The last thing that I want to say is that I find that as I get older I want to stop and recognize where my life has gone and what stages I have gone through. All of us, no matter what era we live in, go through similar stages. We experience school, our friends, toys, life, marriage, family, career, and the technology of our time. Technology changes but the stages we all go through don’t.

Come and check out what our Antioch kin experienced in their era and celebrate being a part of this community – our community. I’m still not a big fan of typical museums. However, this is not a typical museum run by typical people.

Ray Faulkenberry, Ph.D. is a business analyst, consultant, author, coach, and entrepreneur. Log onto his website through 2011 and receive his books on success, leadership, and transformation for free. He can be reached at www.rayfaulkenberry.com or rayfaulkenberry@comcast.net.

College sophomore Ronimar Jessicacris “Jessica” Panugaling is all too familiar with increasing tuition fees, which are making her dream of becoming a nurse very costly. So when she received a $1,000 scholarship from Sutter Health, Jessica was very thankful for the support to achieve her goal.

“Every year I am faced with having to come up with extra money for tuition or books, so it can be pretty stressful” says Jessica. “The Sutter Health scholarship will help me tremendously, and I am so grateful that Sutter Health is investing in our future.”

A long-time Antioch resident, Jessica is one of 11 students to receive a Sutter scholarship in the Sutter Health East Bay Region. All scholarship recipients have parents or grandparents employed by our Sutter Health affiliates.

“My mother, Teresa-Maria, has worked in the Dietary Department for Sutter Delta Medical Center for the past nine years,” says Jessica. “Through the years, I’ve realized how critical her job is to making sure patients receive a healthy meal, so they can get better and back on their feet.”

Exposed to the health care industry at an early age, Jessica decided she wanted to pursue a nursing career.
“I feel a calling to help people,” adds Jessica. “Over this past summer, I achieved my certified nursing assistant certificate. So I am really excited to keep reaching my goal and grateful to Sutter Health for helping me do so.”

Since its inception in 2003, the Van R. Johnson Sutter Scholars Program has awarded more than 3,700 scholarships totaling over $5.5 million to Northern California students. Named in honor of former Sutter Health CEO Van R. Johnson, the Sutter Scholars Program is a competitive opportunity available to the children and grandchildren of employees within the Sutter Health network.

“We are very proud of Jessica and wish her the best in pursuit of her career,” says CEO Gary Rapaport. “We are also pleased and proud that Sutter Health and Sutter Delta Medical Center are able to offer this support for our employees and their families.”