Susan Valenzuela

April 25, 1955-January 18, 1996*To our beloved daughter, sister, and mother, Susan Valenzuela. We miss you dearly. We miss your sense of humor, your jokes, your laughter, your silly ways and most of all, your love.

It’s been 16 years since your life was taken so suddenly by a hit and run driver in Antioch, CA while you crossed the street with a friend. He took your life so senselessly and callously drove on. We all hope he lives with the pain and guilt every day for what he’s done. One day, some how, some way, he will pay.

VEHICLE-1971-1973 Buick Riviera or similar make. Light in color, possibly cream or white. Beveled rear window and tapered dolphin tail rear end.

SUSPECT-Hispanic or African American male with medium build, 25 to 30 years old (16 years ago) with corn row like hair style.

LOCATION-10th Street in Antioch, CA approximately 10 pm.

After this coward hit Susan with excessive speed, throwing her 120 feet, he got out of his vehicle and looked at what he had done to her. Shamelessly, he refused to help and fled from the scene, avoiding all responsibility and consequence.

If anyone has any information regarding this horrific incident, please call the Antioch Police Department or the Antioch Herald. A $10,000 reward is being offered by Susan’s family for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.

On January 15 at approximately 2:40 p.m. Antioch Police received a call of a fight in the area of 2200 Peppertree Way.

Upon arrival Officers contacted the victim, Pita Pelesauma, 49, of Pittsburg, who told police he had been in a fight with his son-in-law, Sus-Anthony Weaver. Pita was transported to a local hospital where it was determined he sustained a puncture wound to his chest. Pita was taken into surgery and is listed in critical condition.

Weaver fled the scene prior to police arrival and is still at large. He is an Antioch resident, 24 years old, 5-foot-11, 280 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Antioch Police Department at 778-2441.

El Campanil Children’s Theatre will be holding auditions for “The Wind In The Willows” on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 4:00 pm. Call Backs: January 19, 2012 4:00 pm. Both will be held at El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. Second Street, Antioch.

The play is the classic children’s story of Mr. Toad and his friends Badger, Ratty and Mole who pursue merry adventures.

Directors Notes: There are no fees to participate in this production.

Auditions: No Advance Preparation Is Required. The Director will ask you to read from a script. You may be asked to do a little improvisation. The Director will be looking for vocal projection and expression
Rehearsals are Mondays through Thursdays, after school, from 4:00 -5:30 PM and about six weeks in duration. No rehearsal on recognized holidays.

El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation is pleased to be able to continue the long standing tradition of Antioch Rivertown Theatre (A.R.T.) which has presented children’s theatre for many years. They offer young children an opportunity to express their talents and develop themselves by performing live theatre, at no cost to them, and at a very reasonable cost to their audience.

Sharon Redman is the Artistic Director of El Campanil Children’s Theatre. For more information call (925) 757-9500. or visit www.elcampaniltheatre.com/childrens_theatre.html.

El Campanil Theatre presents The Cash Tribute Show featuring James Garner on Saturday January 28, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

Garner delivers the Man in Black’s music with conviction, accuracy, sincerity, and honesty. He not only takes his audience through a musical journey of Johnny Cash’s biggest hits, but also on an expedition of the Man in Black’s legendary life.

Between accurate performances of Cash’s songs, Garner recounts the stories of Johnny’s childhood, entrance into the music business, and the highs and lows Cash experienced in a career that spanned 48 years.

Most importantly, audience members will definitely find themselves tapping their toes and singing along with the train-like rhythm that became synonymous with the songs of Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Three.

While James Garner is not a Johnny Cash impersonator, his musical tribute will remind audiences of the energy, power, and excitement that graced the stage every night the Man in Black walked out and said, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.” Johnny may have walked off the stage for the final time in 1997, but audiences today can get a glimpse of what Cash concert-goers of yesteryear might have experienced when James Garner takes to the stage with strong conviction, historical accuracy, heartfelt sincerity, and musical honesty in his tribute to the great Johnny Cash!

Artist website: www.cashtribute.net
RESERVED SEATING
Tickets:
Adults: $27 Seniors (62 and Older): $24 Child (17 and Under): $15 Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Ticket Office, 604 W. Second Street -next door to the theatre, Monday -Friday10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.and one hour before showtime or call 757-9500 or visit www.ElCampanilTheatre.com.

By Ron Parish

You enjoy the game. Whether the economy is good or bad you golf. You play. You practice. You watch it on TV. Most likely you watch the golf channel late at night and sometimes at the start of the day. Don’t forget the perusal of the top industry magazines that are kept by your bedside.

Beside those are a few dozen instructional books that you’ve collected over the years. Five fundamentals. Golf My Way. Little Red Book. Pelz putting, and more. When the British Open is on TV in the summer you will get up at 6AM to watch it live right? Yes. You know who you are. The game is part of who you are and whether you shoot good or bad you are a part of it.

You are what we call a CORE golfer. The courses count on you. The casual golfer isn’t teeing it up right now. Things are too tight. So that makes you important to the game and to the industry. So I ask a question with an obvious answer, “Do you want to help keep the game great?” Of course you do.

So the following are three simple “Resolutions” for 2012 from your Pro here at Lone Tree. These will help keep the game great and help others enjoy the game we love:

#1: Give an invite and bring someone new to the game. Be honest,when was the last time you did this? This year? Five years ago? The courses need ambassadors to grow the game and you are a perfect fit for the job. You’ve got someone at work, next door, a family member, or friend from church, that you can easily help get into the game. It means a lot to them. They may want to already be playing but they don’t know where to start and most likely are intimidated about finding out (no one wants to look foolish). Chances are they already know you are a golfer and you can help them get going. They would love to get an invite. It can be simple:

• Ask them to come out to the range and hit a bucket of balls with you. They can find out what it is like to hit a golf ball, (often getting an “Oooo” or “Awww” experience for them which is memorable for you to be a part of). You can also give them a few pointers while you are out and pick up information about instructional programs. Lone Tree’s range has just added lights so the evening hours are an option now for area golfers to give this invite.

• Ask them to join you in a league of some kind. Couples golf, Ladies league, Wednesday games, Men’s club, Senior’s day, Junior programs (“The First Tee” at Lone Tree), or recently formed our Tuesday Night Range league. Leagues are simple and great vehicles to give an invite and get someone new into the game and meeting others who golf.

• Ask them to play in a scramble with you. What better way to bring someone in the game. Scrambles (select the best shot of all shots hit from the tee, pick up the others and play in the same manner for the next shot and until the ball is holed). This takes the pressure off of a new golfer but gets them exposed to the excitement of being a part of a team and posting a score. Usually scrambles are the format of play for many fundraising tournaments, so you can support a cause while introducing them to the game. Take a look around your golf shop or ask the Guys at the counter. They’ll know about events you can sign up for.

• Ask them to come out late in the afternoon to play a round. The course isn’t crowded at this time, and it is the perfect time for a new golfer to get acquainted. Most courses offer “Super Twilight” rates that keep this as affordable as ong to see a movie.

#2: Keep a good pace of play: Nothing makes people want to go bowling more than a 5 hour+ round. We got to pick up the pace CORE golfers because for the last few years more people have been leaving the game then taking it up. From my position of managing a golf course, only a small percentage of CORE golfers really know what it is to keep a good pace, I would estimate 20%. Some tips for the pace challenged CORE golfers to help pick up the pace are as follows, but please remember this, the number of swings don’t really matter when it comes to pace it is the habits that are in between the swings that are slowing things up.

Tips are:

• Get out of the cart. Sitting in the cart and watch your buddy hit his shot. Golfers should leave their buddy at his ball and either drive over to your ball to hit your shot or grab three clubs and walk over to hit your shot.

• Quicken the pace around the green.

o When your playing partners are putting, put your ball on your mark if it is not on his line and get ready for your turn to putt. Especially take a look at your line from behind your ball while he is putting; don’t wait until it is your turn. Figure things out while playing partners are putting and be ready.

o Story time is not while everyone is putting. Save the jokes and the quips until your are leaving the green, or while riding the cart to the next tee. There will be plenty of time to get a “zinger” in, but while on the green keep things moving and take care of business.

• Hit a provisional: For Serious competitions and you think your ball might be out of bounds or lost? Hit a Provisional ball. Declare the ball provisional to your playing partners and remember you can’t hit a provisional for water hazards. But take advantage of this rule that helps with pace of play and, if you find your original ball, guess what? You got an extra practice swing in during your round allowed by the rules of golf (hmmm J).

• Skip the honors: The Guy who hit it tight and is putting for birdie is often the last one to putt and leave the green. The first Player in a foursome to putt out should head to the cart, while the others in the foursome are putting out, find his/her driver and start working their way to the next tee. As soon as the Guy putting for birdie has hit his putt, you’re the first to arrive to the next tee and you are swinging away as soon as you are there. Let’s take the “wait” out of the game.

• Don’t mark the scores on the scorecard until you are at the next tee. Drive cart to next tee first, mark scores second. If you sit and wait by the putting green, so does your partner and you are delaying both of you.

• Put your clubs in the bag at the next tee. Out of the box here. Come off the putting green, keep the clubs in hand, and drive to the next tee. When you get the driver out at the next tee put your putter and wedges away. Seem extreme? Try it and you will start to recognize how much time is lost by the greens while golfers put their clubs back in the bag.

• Learn from Senior Amateurs and get it done with your swing routine. We host 4 different NCGA Senior Amateur tournaments per year at Lone Tree and the Senior amateurs blaze the course when it comes to pace of play. They have learned that being decisive to a target is the best thing you can do to hit a good shot. These Senior Am’s take one practice swing (some just a ½ swing/waggle), walk in briskly and set up to their target and hit. They get it done.

• Let groups play through if you can’t keep up. If you are more then half a hole behind the group you teed off behind, and you can’t catch back up so you are within a half a hole, allow following faster groups to play through and then stay within half a hole of those groups.

• Change your thinking and get rid of the dilly dally. In the USA we often think of a good pace at 4 hours, or 4.5 hours; if that is where we set the bar, then no wonder we get a 5 hour plus round when a little trouble pops up. To a degree, we have lost respect for our fellow golfers by not putting enough priority on pace. In Scotland an acceptable pace is 3.25 to 3.5 hours at most; and the Scots are generally walking. What do they know that we don’t? They take pace of play more serious and they don’t dilly dally.

I often go out in the late afternoon with an assistant from the golf shop or two, and we will play nine holes in 60-70 minutes. Yes the course is wide open, but we are trying to get our holes in and we just keep moving. Nobody is running. We have conversation. We have a good time. We keep things moving. If you are the first tee time of the day, challenge your playing partners to see if you can play the round in 3 hours. I bet you can and you will enjoy yourselves. Let’s change our thinking and it starts with the first tee time.

#3: Honor the number of players on your reservation and call the golf shop as soon as you know you have fewer players. Core golfers play with other Core golfers. It’s a great thing. And standing tee times are a common practice, that’s one of the ways the golf course honors your loyalty and patronage. But if you are the Friday game at noon and you always have three tee times, but you found out at 10:00 am that one foursome isn’t going to make it. Call the course to let them know you are only two tee times as soon as you know instead of waiting to get to the course to let them know. This really makes a difference. The same goes if you are a foursome and you are only going to have two players. The tee sheet is all a golf course has to sell and it is a limited resource. If you book four and only show two, you cost the course as much money as you made it. With technology these days, golf courses can fill vacant tee times in literally minutes. And starters keep waiting lists and field phone calls all day long as to openings that pop up. Courses in this economy are having a tough time financially so just give a call and help them out. It makes a difference for them and will probably help keep affordable golf for you.

Core golfers thank you for all you do for the game. Know that the industry needs you in 2012 and be sure to extend an invite, keep things moving on the course, and give the shop a call right away to adjust that tee times when needed. Easy resolutions that can make a difference for this game we love. Let me know your thoughts or comments at ronparish@lonetreegolfcourse.com.

By Allen Payton

After being in the catering business for 20 years, including handling crab feeds for political campaigns like Councilman Brian Kalinowski’s run for County Sheriff, last year and for the Deer Valley Youth Football, Michelle Robison and Oliver Hodges started thinking about opening a restaurant.

They began looking for a location, last year, and in July of this year, they found it. It’s on the corner of 9th and A Streets in Antioch, the site of the former, locally famous Panther Drive-In from years gone by.

First-time customer Carl Fill of Martinez, who stopped by after returning from his boat that he berths in East County, said “I love the location. In this county fish houses are hard to find.”

They call it Oliver Fish House – since Oliver is a family name on both sides. Oliver’s parents and grandparents are from Louisiana and Mississippi – which influenced his tastes. Michelle’s father Jimmy Robison is a part owner.

They serve fish, including catfish, oysters, prawns, gumbo, crab cakes and chicken wings, as well as salads and delicious desserts, including 7-Up cake, caramel cake, sweet potato pie, pecan pie and peach cobbler – all home made.

“This is the best I’ve had since I was home in Louisiana,” one patron told this writer.

“I like their gumbo,” said Antioch resident Cory Davis. “I’m here Friday or Saturday of every week.” But it was Tuesday, so he ordered fish and prawns, with hot sauce, instead.

Michelle’s background as a nurse for 27 years, gives her the personal touch when dealing with customers. Oliver likes to make people feel very welcome and at home.

“We want our customers to be satisfied,” he said. “We treat everybody just like they’re family.”
Oliver’s is a place to eat, watch TV and socialize. So stop in and have some good old Southern
cookin’ at Oliver Fish House, today.

Christian comedian and singer Mark Lowry will perform at Golden Hills Community Church’s Brentwood campus, this Thursday night during his Unplugged & Unplanned tour.

Lowry’s unique presentations have been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. His latest show has a very laid back “living room” feel which goes behind the scenes and explores some of Mark’s favorite songs, friends, and experiences from the road and from his lengthy career. The project includes a contribution from his mother, Bev “Mama” Lowry.

Lowry, who has performed with the Gaither Vocal Band and at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, will be joined by Stan Whitmore at the piano.

Tickets are $17.00 Advance ($20 at door) and $25.00 Artist Circle (up front closer section to stage). Children 12 & under are free (except in Artist Circle Section). To purchase tickets online, click here.

The church is located at 2401 Shady Willow Lane at Lone Tree Way in Brentwood, across from the Slatten Ranch Shopping Center.

For more information about Mark Lowry, click here. For information on Stan Whitmore click here. For more information about Golden Hills Community Church, visit www.GoldenHills.org or call 925-516-0653.

BART “Freedom” trains will once again carry riders from throughout the Bay Area on Monday, Jan. 16, to Northern California’s largest celebration honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“As in past years, BART is providing 5,000 special 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. BART flash passes to the event Organizing Committee to distribute free to groups or individuals who make reservations,” BART Board President John McPartland said.

This year’s events incorporate the theme ”Renewing the Dream,” and will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco from 10 am – 5 pm on Monday. BART riders attending the event can go to the Powell Street or Montgomery Street stations, and then take a short walk to the Yerba Buena Center. BART will operate on a Saturday schedule on Monday, January 16 with service beginning at 6:00 am.

BART COMMUNITY EVENTS

In addition, BART is cosponsoring the 10th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Musical Tribute at the Oakland Paramount starring Mavis Staples, PopLyfe, Oakland’s Interfaith Choir and more on Sunday January 15. For tickets and more information on the Oakland event, visit www.mlktribute.com.

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee will be honoring Dr. King at noon in the Kaiser Auditorium (2nd floor). The honorable Willie Brown will be the keynote speaker and BART Board member Lynette Sweet will act as Mistress of Ceremonies. This program is free and features spoken word by local youth and a performance by the Afoutayi Dance and Drum Company.

How to Get a Free Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Train Flash Pass
· Go online at www.norcalmlk.co.cc/
· Check your email for a confirmation email
· The email confirmation will advise you the station to go to for your pass
· MLK volunteers will be stationed at select BART stations during the hours of 8:30 am – 10:30 am on Monday, Jan. 16, to distribute reserved passes.