By Allen Payton

While the County Elections Office continues to count ballots and provide updates, it’s clear that both Supervisor Federal Glover and Martinez Councilwoman Anamarie Avila Farias have taken the top two spots in the race for District 5 Supervisor, and will be in the November run-off.

County Elections Office staff stated they had 56,000 ballots in the county left to count as of Wednesday, not including 19,000 provisional ballots nor those ballots that were postmarked by Tuesday and received by today.

As of the Thursday afternoon vote count update, Glover holds the top spot with 10,443 votes which is 35.26% of the votes and Avila Farias is in second with 9,197 votes which is 31.05%. Trailing in a distant third is former Martinez Mayor Mike Menesini with 4,339 votes or 14.65%, Hercules Mayor Dan Romero with 3,930 votes or 13.27% and then Conrad Dandridge with 1,604 votes or 5.42%.

Avila Farias received a large boost of support from both the firefighters and the deputy sheriffs in the county, with over $68,000 spent on her behalf.

The Elections Office has 28 days to certify the election and is expected to provide another update, later today and more next week, as the remaining ballots are counted. District 5 includes most of the portion in Antioch north of Highway 4.

Following are the results from the County Elections website as of Thursday, June 9, 4:04 p.m.:

By Allen Payton

An update on the Contra Costa County Elections Office website on Thursday, June 09, 2016 at 4:04 p.m. shows Brentwood City Councilman Steve Barr expanding his lead over East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member Diane Burgis, to 1,930 votes. Burgis expanded her lead over Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle to 1,227 votes, with about an additional 4,000 votes counted.

Barr has secured his place in the November run-off. If the trend continues as the remaining ballots are counted, Burgis will have secured her place, as well, as the top two finishers face off in the General Election.

The latest vote counts and percentages are as follows:

John Muir Health announced this week, the donation of $10,000 to local high schools across Contra Costa County. The funds will support programs and services related to the schools’ 2016 “Safe and Sober Grad Night” celebrations, which are held to honor the graduating senior class in a safe environment.

Antioch High and Deer Valley High Schools, as well as 18 other high schools each received a $500 check from John Muir Health to help finance graduation night festivities hosted by the schools, including professional entertainment such as hypnotists, magicians, karaoke, casino games and live DJs.

“As a health care provider in the community with the county’s only trauma center, we’re well aware of the dangers involved with teens driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Kacey Hansen, executive director of Trauma and Transfer Services at John Muir Health.  “This is an important time in their lives and we appreciate the efforts by local high schools to provide an appropriate environment for them to celebrate. The last place we want to see members of the class of 2016 on their graduation night is in one of our hospitals.”

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of John Muir Health’s trauma center, which cares for critically injured patients in Contra Costa County and parts of Solano and Marin counties. In addition to treating critical injuries, John Muir Health actively works to prevent them. Trauma physicians, nurses and staff are participants in the Every 15 Minutes program to educate high school juniors and seniors about drinking and driving and the impact their decisions have on family, friends and other members of their community. John Muir Health also participates in Beyond Violence, an intervention program for trauma patients treated at the medical center between the ages of 14-25 who are victims of intentional injuries (e.g. gunshot, knife assault) and reside in West or East Contra Costa County. Support for Safe and Sober Grad Nights is another form of injury prevention.

The other high schools receiving donations included: Acalanes High School, Alhambra High School, California High School, Campolindo High School, Clayton Valley Charter High School, College Park High School, Concord High School, El Cerrito High School, Freedom High School, Heritage High School, Las Lomas High School, Liberty High School, Miramonte High School, Monte Vista High School, Northgate High School, Pittsburg High School, San Ramon Valley High School and Ygnacio Valley High School.

About John Muir Health

John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians, nearly 6,000 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including Contra Costa County’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. John Muir Health also has partnerships with San Ramon Regional Medical Center, UCSF Medical Center and Stanford Children’s Health to expand its capabilities, increase access to services and better serve patients. The health system offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care.

Dwellings by Lisa Fulmer

The Arts & Cultural Foundation, once again in partnership with the Antioch Historical Society, will host the 11th Annual Celebration of Art Exhibit at the Antioch Historical Society Museum. This is a non-juried exhibit with no required theme, with up to 60 local artists participating in the event.  The event begins on Saturday, June 25th, with an artist reception from 2-4 PM. The exhibit continues through Wednesday, July 22nd. The event, artist reception and entry to the museum are free.

Friesian Up Roar by Beverly C. Turner

Partial list of registered artists: Adele Boyer, Annette Seabury, Betty Espindola, Beverly C. Turner, Beverly Knight, Beverly Martinez, Brenda Chapman, Carla McCrea, Cathy Hanson, Charles J Fox Jr, Charlotte Cusack, Danny Grace, Dianne Curtain, Dianne Solvari, Easy Gonzalez, Eloine Chapman, Jerome Gibson, Jim Miller, Joni Hess, Kay Kirby, Ken Tomlin, Lisa Fulmer, Matt Martin, Michael Pohl,  Michele Eakin, Michelle Cicala, Mike Nelson, Paul Dugan, Paul Schorr, Prudence Capelle, Raymond Figueroa, Rick Felix, Robin Ruport, Sharon Petersen, Thomas Seabury, Tyler De Vincenzi and Yarina Brooks.

If you are an artist interested in participating in the exhibit, please send an email to Diane@Art4Antioch.org or call Diane Gibson-Gray at (925) 325-9897.

The Antioch Historical Society Museum is located at 1500 West 4th Street, Antioch and is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 1-4 PM. Admission is free.  Please visit http://art4antioch.org/CelebrationofArt2016.asp for more information. For questions, please email Diane@Art4Antioch.org or call 779-7018, Monday-Thursdays.

By Allen Payton

Election results from Tuesday night show Brentwood Councilman Steve Barr in a commanding first place lead and East Bay Regional Parks District Board Member in second place in the race for District 3 Supervisor. But, the battle for second place to determine who will face Barr in the run-off election in November may not yet be decided.

Oakley Councilman Doug Hardcastle trails Burgis by just 1,025 votes and according to County Elections Office staff, there are still about 56,000 vote-by-mail ballots in the county, turned in at the polls, Tuesday that are left to be counted. That figure does not include an additional 19,000 provisional ballots, plus the ballots turned in to the 19 City Clerks’ offices, on Tuesday, nor those ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by this Friday.

All the ballots of those who voted at the polls were counted and included in Tuesday night’s totals.

According to the County Elections website, the results for the District 3 race as of Tuesday night are as follows:

Steve Barr – 7,996 votes, 28.9%

Diane Burgis – 6,136 votes, 22.2%

Doug Hardcastle – 5,109 votes, 18.49%

Wade Harper – 4,234 votes, 15.32%

Monica Wilson – 2,516 votes, 9.11%

Odessa Lefrancois – 1,584 votes, 5.73%

Vote counts will be updated as the County Elections office has them, with the first one expected on Friday.

An Antioch Police Officer removes caution tape from the scene of a shooting homicide following the completion of the investigation and removal of the victim’s body, near the Amtrak station, in downtown Antioch, Wednesday morning, June 8, 2016. photo by Allen Payton

By Lieutenant Anthony Morefield, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Wednesday morning, June 8, 2016 at approximately 4:45 AM, Antioch Police Officers responded to a report of a shooting near I Street and First Street in the downtown area. The officers arrived to find a 39-year-old, adult male victim from Bay Point, down, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

Medical personnel were summoned and began life saving measures, but the victim ultimately died from his injuries at the scene.

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 Kris Dee with the Antioch Police Department at (925) 779-6884. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

Dozier-Libbey Medical High graduated the Class of 2016 during commencement ceremonies at Deer Valley High’s outdoor amphitheater in the cooler hours of Friday evening, June 3rd. photo by Sean Pearson

By Sean Pearson

The healthcare industry is hiring, and that means bright prospects for another crop of fresh Dozier-Libbey Medical High School graduates.  On Friday, 3 June 2016, at 8:00 in the evening, the Dozier-Libbey Class of 2016 held their graduation ceremony at the outdoor amphitheater of Deer Valley High School in Antioch.

Joining the graduates’ families in celebrating their achievement  were Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees Vice President Walter Ruehlig, AUSD Trustee Fernando Navarro, AUSD Provisional Board Member Alonzo Terry, AUSD Associate Superintendent Tim Forrester, and Antioch City Councilwoman Monica Wilson.

The Board of Trustees’ decision to start all graduation ceremonies two hours later successfully avoided a repeat of the health crisis of June, 2015, which resulted in dozens of grandparents collapsing from heat exhaustion during commencement exercises and being transported to local emergency rooms.  One relative of a graduate was overheard calling the decision “genius”.

Ruehlig, using a book as a metaphor for an individual’s life, concluded his brief remarks with this exhortation:  “My closing prayer, then, is that each of your chapters ends with the same three words you finished with at Dozier-Libbey:  job well done.”

Graduate Michelle de los Reyes reminded her classmates how excited their families had been at their admission to the academically challenging pathway school, where they all wore medical scrubs as their school uniform.  Graduate Andrés Soto reflected on the gap between fantasy and reality:  “Unfortunately, Disney didn’t get their facts right.”

Bergerhouse named several students as he shared some of the valuable memories from their time at Dozier-Libbey.  When teacher Mark Libbey rose to read the names of the graduates, he was welcomed with loving applause.  After the reading, the class president and valedictorian each gave some closing remarks, challenging the students to go face the world with boldness and vision.  While thousands of high school seniors in Contra Costa County are graduating this spring, this small group of less than 200 can start college knowing they are especially well prepared for their future studies in health sciences.