By Allen Payton

A driver speeding down East 18th Street in Antioch, at an estimated 70 to 80 miles per hour, Wednesday morning struck a telephone and power pole, at about 11:00 a.m., then overturned. The crash knocked out power to 833 surrounding homes and businesses, according to Tom Guarino, Government Relations Manager for PG&E.

According to a tow truck driver and a member of the Antioch Volunteers In Police Service (VIPS) on the scene, the driver was alone in the van, and is in the hospital with a broken back. He had just dropped off his wife and their child, and was on his way to pick up flowers for his wife for their anniversary.

In an email received from Joe Metcalf, Superintendent of PG&E’s Diablo Division Electric M&C at 5:48 p.m., he stated “we have two GC crews on site now. I just spoke [to] the supervisor and he said that they would have all the power restored by 19:30.” That’s 7:30 p.m., tonight.

However, as of a 7:10 p.m. update on the PG&E website, it states “PG&E repair crew is on-site working to restore power” and “ESTIMATED RESTORATION: DEC 31, 8:00 PM.”

For further updates on the power outage, visit www.pge.com/myhome/outages/outage.

By Lieutenant Tony Morefield, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Monday, December 29, 2014 at approximately 10:02 AM, an Antioch Police Officer on routine patrol encountered a subject (later identified as 31-year-old Gerald Delgado) acting suspiciously in the 2100 block of Dogwood Way in Antioch. When the officer tried to talk to Delgado, who was apparently trying to hide from and avoid contact with the officer, Delgado drew a can of pepper spray and threatened the officer. A brief physical altercation ensued and Delgado (after discarding the pepper spray) then drew a large fixed blade knife on the officer. The officer managed to gain some distance on this aggressive, armed suspect and challenged him at gunpoint.

Another officer quickly arrived on scene, and Delgado ultimately dropped the large knife after continued orders to comply by the officers. Delgado was only taken into custody after he further, violently resisted arrest and physically fought with the officers. These two officers showed amazing restraint in safely apprehending Delgado who had armed himself twice during the confrontation and violently resisted arrest.

One officer received minor injuries during the arrest of Delgado. Delgado had some more moderate injuries from the altercation and was treated and released from an area hospital before being transported to the County Jail in Martinez.

This case was taken to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for review. Charges of PC 245(C) – Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Police Officer, (2 counts) PC 69 – Violently Resisting Arrest, and PC 21310 – Possession of a Dangerous Weapon were filed by the DA’s office in this case.

No further information will be released at this time.

Any further information will be provided by the Investigations Bureau at (925) 779-6939. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

From the Book of Luke, Chapter 2, in the Bible, New International Version. For more, click here.

Merry Christmas!

By Lieutenant Morefield, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Sunday, December 21, 2014 at approximately 2:38 PM, Antioch Police Officers responded to a report of a shooting at a residence in the 2100 block of Peppertree Way. The officers arrived to find a 23-year-old adult male Pittsburg resident suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local area hospital where he ultimately died from his injuries.

This case is currently being investigated by the Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau. We are in the preliminary stages of this case, and no further information will be released at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective James Stenger with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6894. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH

By Lt. Connie Hall, Corporate Officer, The Salvation Army of Antioch Corps

The Salvation Army needs your help. We are short on toys and may not reach our goal of providing Christmas to our neighbors in need. We have been able to fill nearly 270 request for help but are short on toys for nearly 100 families. We are in desperate need of brand new toys for girls age 6-12. Our shortfall comes due to a downturn in donations and our failure to receive our ‘Toys for Tot’ order. Please consider helping as every little bit can make a huge difference to a child in our community we are hoping that any agencies or community programs which have excess or have completed there distribution would be willing and able to share their resources.

Any thing at this point would help.

Please call (925) 778-0808 and drop off the toys at 620 E. Tregallas Road in Antioch, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit www.salvationsarmy.org.

USOC has decided to put forward a U.S. city for 2024

SAN FRANCISCO – A group of Bay Area business, sports and civic leaders has put together a preliminary proposal for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), which has decided to put forward a U.S. city to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2024.

The USOC board of directors announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it has unanimously approved a U.S. bid to host the 2024 Games. San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., remain under consideration, with the selection of a U.S. bid city to be made in early 2015.

The decision came after representatives from each of the four cities presented plans to the USOC board of directors following six months of collaborative discussions regarding the technical elements required to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Those discussions will continue in the weeks ahead as the USOC moves toward announcing a candidate city.

“We are excited to announce our plans to put forth a bid for the 2024 Games and look forward to taking the next step of selecting from a group of four world-class cities to present a compelling and successful bid,” said USOC Chairman Larry Probst. “We’re grateful to the civic and political leaders in each of the four cities for the partnership that’s been demonstrated thus far, and confident that the deliberative process we’ve put in place is going to result in a strong U.S. bid that can truly serve the athletes and the Olympic and Paralympic movements.”

The IOC will select the host of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2017.

For the past several months, a group of local boosters has been laying the groundwork for a San Francisco bid, led by San Francisco Giants President & CEO Larry Baer, U.S. Olympian Anne Warner Cribbs, and entrepreneur and non-profit leader Steve Strandberg.

“We believe a San Francisco Bay Area Olympic and Paralympic Games would be an enormous success, and would benefit the region, the nation and the Games themselves, well beyond 2024,” Baer said. “Our region is renowned for connecting the world in new ways every day and we are ready to put that spirit and ingenuity to work for the Games.”

Infrastructure for large-scale sporting events and public gatherings has increased in the Bay Area in recent years, with new facilities at Cal and Stanford, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, an expanding Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco, the San Jose Earthquakes Stadium currently being constructed, and a new arena planned for the Golden State Warriors in the city’s Mission Bay neighborhood.

These and many other facilities around the Bay Area would be considered for the Games, Baer said, but organizers have not yet released a venue plan.Baer, Cribbs and Strandberg have put together a team of volunteer organizers and are meeting with community leaders around the region, building support and making a case for why the Bay Area is a perfect showcase for the Olympic and Paralympic Games – and vice versa.

“With cultural values and a welcoming environment that embody the global mission of the Games, San Francisco is uniquely positioned to show the Olympics, the nation, and the region in the best possible light,” said Cribbs, a gold-medalist swimmer in the 1960 Olympics and CEO of the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee (BASOC). “We have the opportunity to put our unique stamp on the Games and inspire a new generation of American youth to pursue sports and fitness, while embracing the Olympic spirit of international friendship and cross-cultural exchange.”

The San Francisco organizers point to the enduring legacies of previous games in international destination cites like Barcelona, Sydney and London, and pledge that the Bay Area would enjoy lasting infrastructure and financial benefits as well.

“Hosting the Games would galvanize the Bay Area around some of our most pressing challenges,” Strandberg said. “In preparing for the Olympics, we would pull together to produce thousands of units of new affordable housing, improve our transportation systems, create new jobs, and establish new parks and recreational facilities – all of which will remain long after the Closing Ceremony.”

Cribbs, a native of Menlo Park, who earned her gold as a member of a relay team, emphasized teamwork.

“The region’s large and active family of Olympians and Paralympians will be involved in all aspects of the Bay Area’s efforts to host the 2024 Games,” she said. “When we get the entire Bay Area community pulling together in the same direction, we can do great things.”

The International Olympic Committee’s deadline for 2024 bid submissions is Sept. 15, 2015, with the host city to be determined in 2017. The timeline for the 2024 bidding process was announced during the IOC Extraordinary Session in early December, during which time the Olympic Agenda 2020 was finalized. Among the 40 recommendations – which were all unanimously approved – the reform package allows for a more flexible and cost-effective bidding process.

“All four cities have presented plans that are part of the long-term visions for their communities,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “At our request, and because of the preliminary nature of our discussions, the cities have not spoken about their bids publicly in great detail. That will be an important part of the process after we make our selection in January.”

The U.S. has not hosted the summer edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games since 1996 (Atlanta). St. Louis hosted in 1904 and Los Angeles held the Games in both 1932 and 1984.

To learn more or volunteer, visit www.sf2024.org, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SF2024 or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SF2024.