Check back Monday for more photos…

Where: 420 West Third Street,**Antioch

When: Tuesday, December 8

Time: 4 to 6 p.m.

** This location has parking available in the parking lot as well as on the street.

On December 7th, Mount Diablo’s Beacon will be relit by survivors of Pearl Harbor.

“The Beacon lighting is a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor”, says Earl “Chuck” Kohler, one of the few remaining survivors in Contra Costa County.  However, the ceremony is also an opportunity to honor the survivors.  When those who experienced Pearl Harbor are gone, the history is lost with them.

We invite you to attend the ceremony to pay tribute to and honor our veterans.

The Sons & Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Chapter 5 are pleased to co-sponsor this 52^nd Annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony with Save Mount Diablo. Presentations will be made by the few remaining local Pearl Harbor survivors, Mount Diablo State Park, David Behring (President of Wheelchair Foundation), as well as Save Mount Diablo.

The Beacon on Mount Diablo was originally installed and illuminated in 1928 to aid in trans-continental aviation. It is one of the four guiding beacons installed along the west coast by Standard Oil of CA and is the only one known to still be operational.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Beacon’s light was extinguished during the West Coast Blackout, for fear it may enable an attack on California.  It stayed dark until Pearl Harbor Day 1964, when Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz relit the Beacon in a commemorative ceremony and suggested it be illuminated every December 7th to honor those who served and sacrificed. Since that day, Pearl Harbor Veterans and their families have gathered every December 7th to see the Beacon light shine once again.

What:  Save Mount Diablo, the Sons & Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and California State Parks will light the “Eye of Diablo”, the Beacon atop Mount Diablo to memorialize Pearl Harbor Day. As the number of Survivors has decreased over the years, the number of people attending the ceremony in honor of these heroes has increased, including many sons and daughters vital to organizing the service.

When: Monday, December 7th, 2015, 3:45pm, lighting at 5pm

Where: The ceremony and lighting will be held at California State University, East Bay Campus, 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road, Concord, CA

Access:  Parking is available on Campus and the ceremony will be held in the Oak Room (with extra seating in the Redwood Room)

For more information about the Beacon Lighting Ceremony: please visit http://www.savemountdiablo.org/activities_events_beacon.html or contact Save Mount Diablo’s office at (925) 947-3535

Save Mount Diablo is a non-profit 501(c)(3) conservation organization, which has been preserving lands on and around Mount Diablo and educating the public to the mountain’s natural values since 1971.  Preserved lands have increased from 6,788 acres in one park to more than 110,000 acres in more than 40 parks and preserves.  Save Mount Diablo continues to preserve, defend and restore the remainder of the mountain for people and wildlife to enjoy. Contact: Save Mount Diablo, telephone: (925) 947-3535, fax: (925) 947-0642, 1901 Olympic Blvd., Suite 320, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; www.SaveMountDiablo.org.

The Antioch Police Department is excited to announce the 66th installment of the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. This is a collaborative community effort which involves active participation from The Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission; Neighborhood Watch Program; Volunteers in Police Service; community volunteers and the Public Works Department.

Collectively, “We”, everyone who works and lives in the City 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 66th Neighborhood Cleanup event will occur on Saturday, December 5th  from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Prewett Family Park on Lone Tree Way. 

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 are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month and the locations will be announced in advance.

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

By Lieutenant Don LaDue, Field Services Bureau Commander, Antioch Police Department

On Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 at approximately 3:16 PM, Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Buchanan Road and Del Oro Circle for a single vehicle collision.  Officers arrived on scene and located a vehicle that had left the roadway and collided with a tree.

Contra Costa Firefighters arrived on scene and had to extricate the driver from the vehicle.  The driver, and sole vehicle occupant, was transported to a local trauma center with major injuries.

Our preliminary investigation indicates that the victim was traveling W/B on Buchanan Rd when he lost control of his vehicle at a slight bend in road.  The victim’s vehicle left the roadway and collided with a large tree.  Speed and inclement weather appear to be factors in this collision. It is not known at this time if alcohol was a factor.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact the Antioch Police Department at (925) 778-2441.