By Sergeant Morefield, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Thursday, September 27, 2012 at approximately 9:45 PM, a 49 year-old Brentwood man arrived at an area hospital believing that he had been shot in the arm while driving on Highway 4 near the G Street overpass. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the victim was actually struck by an object which was thrown through the windshield of his vehicle while he was driving through that location. This victim was ultimately treated and released from the hospital.

A short time later, a second victim, a 53 year-old, Discovery Bay woman reported having an object thrown through her windshield while she was driving through the same location. She was uninjured, but her vehicle was severely damaged.

Several days later, on Monday, October 1, 2012 at around the same time at night, there was a similar incident where an ambulance was on Highway 4 and struck by an object thrown from the G Street overpass. No one was injured during that incident, but it did cause significant damage to the ambulance.

The Antioch Police Department is currently investigating these cases but is asking for the public’s assistance in solving these crimes. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Koch with the Antioch Police Department at (925)779-6895.

You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH

By Cecily Guest, AFAA, NCEP certified instructor

Could it be that there’s one, singular way to burn fat, tone muscle, reduce stress, increase serotonin levels, protect against heart disease, dementia and depression, make you smarter and bring you closer to friends and family? Yes! It’s called dancing.

For many exercisers there’s no secret that dance-aerobics burns 300-500 calories per 60 minute workout. Others have learned that dance classes can quickly tone leg muscles as well as muscles of the upper arm, chest and upper back. But recent studies like the one I found in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that the one activity that offered the greatest risk protection against dementia was dance. Golf and cycling offered 0% protection, reading a crossword puzzling offered 35-47% protection, dance offers up to 76% protection against dementia.

“The cerebral cortex and hippocampus which are critical to [dance] are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use” say on Havard Medical School psychiatrist.

If you want to loose weight while dancing you’ll have to pick up the pace as slow dance, ballet and casual clubbing don’t raise your heart rate enough for high caloric burn. Once you’ve found the best dance based exercise program to suit your personality you’ll be more likely to stick with it because you’ll actually enjoy yourself and you’ll start to look forward to interacting with the other students. Don’t worry if you’re a little uncoordinated. You’re not going for an Olympic medal and there are no Hollywood stars waiting to give you the buzzer. Relax and have fun in your dance-based workouts.

One of the most popular dance-based exercise forms in the last 10-years is Zumba ™, created by fitness instructor Alberto “Beto” Perez. The format has more than 12 million people in 125 countries following and using it to get into better shape. Zumba’s popularity exists in many local, community studios and dance halls as followers consider it to be the only fitness experience they need. It’s a total body workout with some intricate Latin based moves, which help improve coordination, balance and cognitive skills. Classes in your area are easy to find on Zumba’s website and most local studios charge as little as $5 per class. This means you can easily take Zumba ™ 3-5 days per week. Plus there are frequent Zumba-thons in the Bay Area which are usually associated with charity drives.

Here are some unofficial signs you’re serious about Zumba:

1. You own Zumba ™ gear

2. You find that you are doing Zumba workouts more than once a week.

3. You are humming Zumba ™ songs in the shower, kitchen, while pumping gas, etc.

4. When you meet fun people, you try to get them to go to class with you

5. Your kids, spouses and in-laws join you at least once a week

6. You’re a “gidder done” type of guy who finds himself leading the dance line at weddings

7. You’re loosing weight and burning fat with a smile on your face.

8. You have a Zumba ™ song as your ring tone

9. You’re thinking of getting certified to teach Zumba ™

10. You made a fitness budget that includes Zumba ™ workouts.

Guest is owner of Progressive Fitness in Antioch.

As a reminder, this Thursday October 4th from 7 PM – 9 PM at Antioch City Hall in the City Council Chambers, the Antioch Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a candidates’ debate for the Antioch Mayor and Antioch City Council.

The City Council candidates will debate from 7 PM- 8 PM followed by the Antioch Mayor debate from 8 PM – 9 PM.

Candidates will each have two opportunities to rebut their opponents during the debate, which should add some excitement to the format.

The Chamber apologizes but the League of Women Voters will not be participating in the debate, as was published previously, due to a difference in formats for the event.

“Come out and listen to your future leaders so that you can make an educated decision in November,” encourages Dr. Sean Wright, Executive Director of the Chamber.

Take Back Antioch (TBA) is hosting a non-partisan forum on Saturday, October 20, 2012 to allow citizens to meet and learn about the candidates running for mayor and city council of Antioch.  The forum will be held from 9:00 am to 11:30 am at the El Campanil Theatre, located at 602 W. Second Street, in the Rivertown area of Antioch.  .

Questions will be determined in advance, based on the most popular questions submitted on TBA’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TakeBackAntioch), and will cover a variety of topics, including:

·Crime and police staffing

·Blight and graffiti

·Volunteerism

·Downtown/waterfront revitalization

·Economic development

Questions with the most “likes” on TBA’s Facebook page will be asked by a panel of volunteers, and each candidate will be allowed to answer the questions within a preset time limit.  If time allows, candidates will be able to answer questions directly from the public.

For further information, or to find out how you can help, please visit the Take Back Antioch Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TakeBackAntioch or email TBA at info@takebackantioch.com.

Over Troubled Waters, a documentary about the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, will premiere in Antioch on Tuesday, October 2, at the El Campanil Theatre. Following the screening will be a question and answer session with water policy advocates. Over Troubled Waters will be the centerpiece of a public education effort to stop the building of peripheral tunnels.

In this visually rich documentary, Ed Begley Jr. narrates the story of how the people of the Delta are fighting to protect the region they love and to encourage saner, sustainable water policies for all the people of California.

“This is our chance to tell the real Delta story,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, which produced the documentary. “This film reveals how powerful forces are using fear of flooding and earthquakes to make a case for transforming a unique, beautiful, productive region into a permanent way station for water going somewhere else. They are trying to shore up an outdated water system with a massive, multi-billion dollar water transfer project that Californians will be paying for decades.”

It should be noted that, Over Troubled Waters has been designated as a participant in this year’s 9th Annual Artivist Film Festival to be held November 1-4 in Hollywood, California. “ARTIVIST” is the only Film Festival dedicated to ‘Raising Awareness for Human Rights, Children’s Advocacy, Environmental Preservation, and Animal Advocacy through International Films’. In 2012, the UNITED NATIONS officially accepted the Artivist Collective, Inc., producer of the annual Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards, as an NGO member of the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN-DPI). For more information go to www.Artivist.com.

Tickets are sponsored by Assembly candidate Jim Frazier. For information on additional screenings, go to http://overtroubledwaters.org/buy-tickets/.

What: Over Troubled Waters
Film screening: 7:00 p.m.
Where: El Campanil Theatre, 604 W. 2nd Street, Antioch
When: Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Who: Water advocates, Delta residents, including farmers and fishermen

The Antioch Police Department is excited to announce the 39th installment of the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. This is a collaborative community effort which involves active participation from United Citizens for Better Neighborhoods (UCBN), community volunteers, and the Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission; Neighborhood Watch Program, Target Volunteers, Volunteers in Police Service, community volunteers and the Public Works Department.

Collectively, We, everyone who works and lives in the City of Antioch, can make a difference and improve the quality of life. It;s our community and it’s our chance to make a difference.

The City of Antioch Neighborhood Cleanup program is not just for residential neighborhoods. It is a program that will change venues on a monthly basis and it will include business and commercial areas as well. Neighborhoods that are free of trash and refuse are inviting, and a clean community instills a sense of community pride.

The 39th Neighborhood Cleanup event will occur on Saturday, October 6th, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  Volunteers should report to the Prosserville Park located at W. 6th and O Streets. There should be plenty of curbside parking along W. 6th Street adjacent to the park. Volunteers will receive instructions and the equipment necessary to accomplish the goal. The targeted area is within walking distance.  Excluding inclement weather, future Neighborhood Cleanup events will be scheduled for the first Saturday of every month and the locations will be announced in advance. 

If you have a suggestion for a future cleanup area, please inform the assigned Volunteer in Police Services (VIP) or you can call (925) 779- 6878.  If there is no answer please feel free to leave a message regarding your suggested cleanup area.  

Remember, cleaning up your neighborhood can make life better for your family, your neighbors and your community!

On Sunday, September 30, 2012, Ricky Gill and other Congressional candidates from Northern California gathered at California State University Sacramento for a forum hosted by a leading Asian-American public affairs association and the NAACP, among many other organizations.

Congressional candidates Kim Vann and Congressman John Garamendi attended from the 3rd District, as did Ami Bera and Congressman Dan Lungren from the 7th District. Assembly candidates Peter Tateishi and Ken Cooley attended from the 8th District, as did Tony Amador and Richard Pan from the 9th District.

While Gill gladly participated in the forum, Jerry McNerney was notably absent. In fact, the 9th Congressional District was the only race in which one candidate attended while the other skipped out.

As KCRA reported, “Democratic incumbent Jerry McNerney was a no-show.” Not only that — according to KCRA, McNerney’s office also failed to respond to inquiries regarding the Congressman’s whereabouts.

So, where was McNerney? After all, his Congressional colleagues weren’t too busy to attend. And McNerney himself wasn’t too busy to send out multiple fundraising emails on Sunday, the last day of the campaign finance period.

“Perhaps McNerney has become the quintessential Washington insider, too busy to meet with voters but always available for a lobbyist or high-dollar donor,” Colin Hunter of the Ricky Gill campaign said. “Back in 2006, McNerney lambasted his incumbent opponent for allegedly skipping a candidates’ forum in favor of a fundraiser.“

“Or perhaps McNerney simply was delayed while pretending to move from Pleasanton to Stockton via the treacherous Altamont Pass,” he added. “In any case, local voters suffered — a consistent theme of McNerney’s tenure in Congress.”

The Pedersen family – Fred, Jr., Tiffany Deal, Patrick, Sue and Fred – waves good-bye to the customers of their Winners Circle Western Wear, which will be closing soon.

By Allen Payton, Publisher

Due to health, the economy and other issues, the Pedersens are closing Winner’s Circle Western Wear that was opened in Antioch in 1975.

Although owned by Patrick Pedersen, Sue Pedersen has been the backbone of the business. She has been ill this past year, then was injured in an accident, this year.

It was the place in East County to buy a cowboy hat, big, shiny, custom belt buckle, cowboy boots and Wrangler western jeans.

They served the shrinking farming, ranching and equestrian communities, including 4H, as well as bikers who sought them out for their leather vests.

The Pedersens have been big supporters of community activities, like 4H, rodeos and equestrian events.

“People are coming in and thanking us for being here and involved in the community,” Sue Pedersen said. “I’m not going to stop being involved in the community, because it’s my passion. But I’m retiring.”

Originally opened on 18^th and A Streets, they moved to 2nd Street, then finally to West 10^thStreet to a 13,000 square feet building in June, 2009.

“The family members have all worked there and helped out, Pedersen stated.” “It’s been a real family business.”

But with the changes in East County from an agrarian to a more suburban community, plus some competition from other stores and the general downturn in the economy, plus Sue’s health, things changed for Winners Circle.

So, Sue, Fred, Fred, Jr., Patrick and Tiffany are closing the family business in which they’ve worked together. They will be open until everything is sold – including their famous hat bar

People are calling telling them they’ll be missed.

“We appreciate all our loyal customers from throughout the years,” she said. “We will miss them.”

(Please see their ad in the October issue of the Herald)