2016 AD 11 Woman of the Year Gloria Martin holds her resolution on the floor of the Assembly, accompanied by Assemblymembers, from left, Chad Mayes (Minority Leader), Cristina Garcia (Women’s Caucus Vice Chair), Speaker Anthony Rendon and Jim Frazier.

Sacramento, CA – Today, Monday, March 14, 2016, Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) honored Gloria Martin on the Assembly Floor as his 2016 Woman of the Year for the 11th Assembly District. Martin, a lifelong resident of Antioch, has quietly given back to her community through philanthropic support by way of the Martin Family Foundation and devoting countless volunteer hours throughout the community.

“It is such an unexpected honor to be recognized for this award,” said Martin. “I would not be able to accomplish this great work without the help of all the other wonderful volunteers in our community.”

Martin developed her community spirit at a young age while attending Antioch schools, including Fremont Elementary, Antioch Junior High School and Antioch High School. She has since spent countless hours supporting children in the community. For over ten years she has been an active board member of the Antioch Schools Education Foundation. During this time she chaired the Fellows Award dinner honoring Antioch’s outstanding teachers and raised money to improve school classrooms through various grants.

In addition to her philanthropic work through local schools, Martin is a proud Rotarian with twenty years of perfect attendance and holding the office of Sergeant at Arms for many years. Martin is also an active member of the Holy Rosary church, Pittsburg Elks Club, Antioch Woman’s Club, Antioch Chamber of Commerce, and Umpqua Bank Advisory Board.

Marin regularly volunteers her time to support her community by participating in red ribbon week, various food banks, the Antioch Senior Center and the Antioch Historical Society. She also supports dozens of other nonprofits, including An Elderly Wish Foundation, the Police Activities League, Antioch High School, East County Boys & Girls Club, Leo Fontana Family Foundation, with a special place in her heart for the REACH Project.

“By selflessly dedicating her life to supporting her community, Gloria is the type of person we all wish to have in our lives,” said Frazier. “She truly lives the Rotary motto of ‘Service above Self’ and I am honored to name her my 2016 Woman of the Year for the 11th Assembly District.”

Frazier honored Martin in a ceremony this afternoon at the California State Capitol with an Assembly Resolution naming her an exemplary California woman.

By Sergeant Rick Smith, Antioch Police Community Policing Bureau

On, Monday, March 14, 2016, at 12:08 p.m., Antioch Police Officers responded to JC Penney for the report of a shoplifter in custody who had fought with plain clothed Loss Prevention (LP) Personnel. LP Officers had observed a subject, later identified as 58-year-old Antioch resident Tony Cotton enter into the store and begin placing clothing into a back pack. He was contacted outside of the store by LP Officers when he exited without paying for the merchandise.

They identified themselves and Cotton refused to return to the store. A struggle began when LP Officers attempted to arrest him. During the struggle, Cotton produced a box cutter and assaulted both LP Officers. Cotton was secured in handcuffs and brought back into the store. All merchandise was recovered.

Both LP Officers suffered minor injuries as a result of this incident. Both had minor lacerations and only one required further medical attention. Cotton suffered no injuries and was booked at the Antioch Police Department on felony charges. He was later transferred to the Martinez Detention Facility.

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Antioch Police at (925) 778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

By Sergeant Wisecarver, Antioch Police Special Operations Unit

On Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at approximately 11:00 pm, the Antioch Police Department received numerous calls reporting gunshots heard in the 4900 block of Willowbrook Way. Officers responded to the reports and located a 46-year-old man bleeding from a gunshot wound to his chest.

The officers began treating the injured man and requested paramedics respond to assist. The man was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for medical treatment. Witness statements informed the officers of a suspicious vehicle driving through the neighborhood at the same time of the shooting. The officers located the suspicious vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on it. The vehicle’s occupants, 28-year-old Steven Clark and 32-year-old Darnell Williams were contacted and found to be in possession of a loaded firearm. Clark and Williams were both arrested for the firearm. It was later determined through speaking with the victim that Clark and Williams were not responsible for shooting the victim.

At the time of this writing, the suspect description is vauge. The victim was treated at an area hospital for a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the chest.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call Detective Kris Dee with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6884. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

New “Next-Generation” Office design to better serve community

AAA Northern California announces a new location and updated design for its AAA Antioch branch office. The branch is now open for business as of today, Monday, March 14.  This “Next-Generation” design features digital interactive areas that make waiting more productive and informative for members.

“AAA is dedicated to servicing its members with the expertise and quality they have come to expect,” says Cynthia Harris, AAA Northern California spokesperson. “The Next Generation design provides our members with a new way of doing business that will enable them to experience what AAA has to offer on a whole new level of service.”

AAA Antioch retail office is in the Slatten Ranch Shopping Center and provides a destination for members who will be able to access adjacent well-known retail shops and local restaurants. AAA Antioch has also extended its hours of service to include Saturdays. This will provide AAA members with access to all AAA services, and uniquely, DMV transactions. Hours of operations are Monday through Saturday, 9am-6pm.

The new address is:

Slatten Ranch Shopping Center

5799 Lone Tree Way

Antioch, CA 94531

AAA Antioch is a full-service branch office staffed with AAA insurance agents, providing life, auto and home insurance, AAA memberships, and AAA travel assistance. Free maps and tour books will also be available free of charge to all members.

A ribbon cutting and official opening of the new location will occur sometime later, Harris mentioned.

AAA Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and consumer discounts to more than 4.3 million members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers since it was founded more than 116 years ago.

By John Crowder

Today, Monday, March 14, Leadership Associates, the search firm hired by the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) to conduct the search for a new superintendent for AUSD, will be at the Antioch Water Park in Prewett Park, available to obtain input from the public regarding the, “qualities, characteristics, background, and experience” that Antioch residents believe are important for the person eventually filling that role to have.  On Tuesday, March 15, they will be at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center, as well.

Everyone residing in Antioch has a vital interest in this decision.  One reason is the relationship between economic development and the local public schools.   This relationship was highlighted at a meeting of the Antioch City Council almost a year-and-a-half ago.  At that meeting, which took place on Wednesday, November 19, 2014, Richard Loewke, the consultant hired by the city to, among other things, determine what impediments were working against economic development in Antioch, stated, “Employers and employees with children who can afford to do so tend to look outside of Antioch in order to gain access to better performing public schools.”

As go the schools, so goes the town.  If Antioch is ever to make serious headway in economic development, it’s critical that the schools perform well.  No CEO of a technology firm, or any high-wage business, for that matter, is going to locate their business in a town where the schools aren’t performing well.  The schools in Antioch have been performing poorly for years…and if we don’t obtain a superintendent with the qualities needed to turn things around, we can look forward to another decade of their continued decline…and with them, the continued decline of our city.

Most school districts, including Antioch, tend to look for someone from within the education establishment to fill the role of superintendent.  The successful candidate frequently has a doctorate in education, and has been immersed in public education in one administrative role or another for many years…often, it’s all they’ve ever known.  We’ve tried that, and it hasn’t worked.  I suggest a different approach…find someone who is not subject to the same groupthink that typically plagues troubled organizations.  While it’s possible that someone from within the education establishment may be able to get the job done, we shouldn’t limit our search.  We need to also look outside the establishment, to the business, and or private school community.  What we need is, in business parlance, a turn-around expert.

Beyond that, the new superintendent must possess certain core behavioral skills.  Foremost among these is honesty.    The new superintendent must be willing to level with the public.  Too often, the public gets only ‘spin,’ an attempt to make bad news sound good, or to change the focus to a topic that is irrelevant.Our new superintendent must have the ability to say, “Yes, our test scores are horrible, and here is what we are going to do to turn that around.”

Second, the new superintendent must be decisive.  I’ve seen, first-hand, both middle and high school students in AUSD that can’t do basic arithmetic.  They can’t write a simple paragraph.  These students have no chance at successfully passing a rigorous algebra course, or even to write a decent college entrance essay.  Yet, instead of meeting the students where they really are academically, they continue to be moved forward.  Unable to do the work required at the next level, or even to understand what the teacher is talking about, many give up.  For most of these students, this woeful circumstance could be turned around.  But that will only happen if the administration is honest with parents about how far behind their children are, and then takes decisive action to ensure they are taught the basic skills they need in order to be able to do more advanced work…regardless of the grade level they are currently in.

Third, the new superintendent must be fearless.  I’m convinced that one of the reasons that parents aren’t informed about the lack of skills their children have, or that, when uncovered, we’re presented with excuses, is the fear of lawsuits.  When fear is the driving factor, though, it paralyzes the decision maker.  It prevents leaders from taking the decisive action needed to turn things around; from stepping up and doing what needs to be done.  In the meantime, our children continue to move through the system, unprepared for either college, or any meaningful career.

It’s become almost a favorite pastime to bash Antioch for high crime, lack of economic development, and low-performing schools.  Here, we have a chance to not just gripe, but to do something about it.  I encourage everyone interested in seeing Antioch succeed to attend these meetings, to speak or write to the school board, to talk with your neighbors and get them involved in the superintendent selection process.  Tell them you want the schools led by someone with the characteristics needed to ensure positive change: Honesty, Decisiveness, and Fearlessness.  Tell them you want someone not focused on getting by a couple of years, and padding their pension, but to consider hiring someone from the outside, from the business or private school setting, who will get the job done and not keep handing out excuses.  Our city, and certainly, our children need us.  Let’s not let them down.

Crowder is a former teacher in Antioch public and private schools, as well as administrator of a private school. He currently operates the Math Intensive program at Deer Valley High School.

HIGHWAY LANE CLOSURES:

State Route 4:

There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Railroad Avenue and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between Hillcrest Ave. and A St. on Monday through Friday from 11:00 pm to 4:00 am.

There will be highway lane closures in the westbound direction of State Route 4 between State Route 160 and Hillcrest Ave. on Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 pm to 3:00 am.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Bailey Road and Contra Loma on Monday through Friday from 4:30 am to 12:00 pm.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between Contra Loma and A Street/Lone Tree Way on Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am.

There will be highway lane closures in the eastbound direction of State Route 4 between A Street/Lone Tree Way and Hillcrest Ave. Thursday through Friday from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am.

RAMP CLOSURES:

There will be a ramp closure at the Hillcrest Ave. eastbound off ramp Thursday through Friday from 11:00 pm to 3:00 am.

There will be a ramp closure at the A Street/Lone Tree Way eastbound off ramp Tuesday through Thursday from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am

For questions or comments please send e-mail to info@4eastcounty.org.

Dozier-Libbey Medical High School in Antioch will host a National Agriculture Day event on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 with the theme, “Stewards of a Healthy Planet.”. This will mark the 43rd anniversary of National Ag Day, which is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country.

The event, to take place at the school’s Edible Garden located on campus, will include:

·      The Garden Club – Lucas Chilcote, Founder of the Garden Club and Senior at Dozier-Libbey will provide information about the club, their Edible Garden and the future of the club for 2017.

·      Bounty from the Box: The CSA Cookbook is your guide to enjoying more than 90 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs commonly grown by community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms across America. With more than 350 delicious, healthful recipes, you’ll never wonder what to do with your weekly subscription box again. Whether you’re a CSA subscriber, a farmers market shopper, a gardener, or simply a home cook, you’ll truly enjoy—and constantly use—this remarkable book. Eating is truly a social act. Far more than just a cookbook, Bounty also showcases CSA farms across America and the incredible ways they are feeding—literally and figuratively—their communities with exciting outreach programs, informative classes, dining events, food donation, land conservation efforts, and diverse employment opportunities.

The launch of a fundraising campaign selling Bounty from the Box with 35% proceeds of sales going towards the Garden Club. www.bountyfromthebox.com

·      Farmigo re-launch of Dozier-Libbey Farm to School Marketplace – Sample locally grown fruits, vegetables, cheeses, breads, etc..

Farmigo is on a mission to create a food system that’s better for everyone, from farmers to eaters. We believe that many of us are ready for an alternative way to shop, cook, and break bread with our families and friends. We’ve created a movement, founded on groups of neighbors ordering individually and picking up together, as a community. It’s made farm-to-neighborhood a viable option, where fresh food is more accessible than ever before, nothing goes to waste, and we support small farmers and foodmakers. www.farmigo.com

The Dozier-Libbey event marks a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. A number of producers, agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate. National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America. ACA is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public’s awareness of agriculture’s role in modern society. Visit www.agday.org for more information on National Ag Day in 2016.