By Don Martin II

Antioch, CA…This weekend Antioch Speedway will be hosting the biggest Dirt Modified race of the year. It’s the First Annual West Coast Nationals. The A Modifieds and the B Modifieds will both be competing.

Past Modified and Stock Car competitor Chad Chadwick is making his foray into promoting with this big event. He’s hoping not just to offer the racers a big money race, but also to help reclaim Antioch Speedway’s status as one of the top tier dirt tracks in the state. “The fans will be seeing some of the best Modified racing you’ll find anywhere,” said Chadwick. “Some of the best drivers on the West Coast will be here this weekend. We have a format that will give the racers several opportunities to make it into the big race. I’m excited to be bringing this race to Antioch Speedway.”

The event kicks off on Thursday night with a practice, barbecue, cornhole tournament and live music. Both divisions will compete in heat races and Preliminary Features on Friday. The Top 4 finishers in the Preliminary Features will be locked into Saturday’s big money Main Event.

On Saturday, the two divisions will again run heat races as well as B Mains and Last Chance Qualifiers. The night ends with the Main Events offering purses of $25,000 for the A Modifieds and over $5,000 for the B Modifieds.

Antioch Speedway has held some big Modified races during the past 30 years, but this one will be the biggest ever. Just to take the green flag in the A Modified Main Event on Saturday will ensure a driver a minimum $500 payday. To win the show will be worth $7,500, and even second place walks off with a tidy sum of $3,800. The B Modified drivers will be competing for $1,500 to win their feature race with drivers earning $150 just to start.

The money being offered for the A Modifieds was enough to attract the attention of Bakersfield driver Ethan Dotson. Dotson gained national attention by winning the big IMCA Nationals event in Boone, Iowa in early September. He may come in as a top driver to beat, but an all star lineup of competitors is anticipated with the money on the line.

Bobby Hogge IV has a knack for winning some of the biggest races on the West Coast, and he’s won 70 Main Events at Antioch Speedway alone in his impressive career. Hogge picked up the lucrative victory in the Mike Cecil Memorial at Watsonville earlier this year and also left with the big prize money in the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race in Medford back in June.

When you talk about drivers to beat, Bobby’s name will be found near the top of the list. “These are the races that I look forward to,” said Hogge. “You get some of the best drivers out there, and it makes it a lot more fun and challenging for me. I’m looking forward to this race. We’ve always done pretty well at Antioch.”

Like Hogge, Kellen Chadwick, Troy Foulger and Nick DeCarlo are all past Antioch Speedway champions. Chadwick won both the Donna Soares Memorial and Jerry Hetrick Memorial at Antioch this year. He also won the Wild West Speedweek Series title for the second time this year and the $5,000 R Charles Snyder Salute in Medford.

Foulger is a four-time Antioch champion teaming with Billy Bowers, and he won the Merced Speedway title this year. DeCarlo won the Antioch championship last season and had three wins this year. This second-generation competitor bears the distinction of being the only driver to win Modified championships at Antioch, Petaluma and Watsonville.

This is just a sampling of some of the stars anticipated not just from California but from the Pacific Northwest and even Canada. Local stars such as new champion Buddy Kniss, 2017 champion Bobby Motts Jr, Sean O’Gara, multi-time Late Model champion Jeff Decker and Bob Newberry are among a roster of roughly 50 competitors expected to do battle.

The $1,500 is one of the bigger prizes being offered for the B Modifieds, and that kind of cash will bring some fast competitors to Antioch Speedway. This will include past champion Fred Ryland. Ryland has won over 50 Main Events in his career at Antioch Speedway alone as well as the 2015 championship. He won the Merced title this year. Local star Tommy Fraser, who won the championship this year along with eight Main Events, is anticipated as well.

In addition to other local stars such as Trevor Clymens and brother Tommy Clymens Jr, Todd Gomez and Kevin Brown, top racers from tracks such as Watsonville, Merced and Marysville are anticipated for this special event. There’s even reports of a few Modified racers bringing two cars to compete in both divisions.

The track has offered some big paying events through the years, and this is the biggest one yet. The West Coast Nationals promises to be a can’t miss event. This two-day event is also the final race of the season until next year. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Will create $800 million in economic activity and 1,300 construction jobs; Antioch city staff checking to see if program can benefit the Hard House, home of the city’s first mayor.

Sacramento, CA: On Tuesday, October 9th, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 451, the California Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, adding California to the list of more than 35 states that have passed such incentives. The bill, which passed both the Senate and the Assembly with unanimous approval, will enable the renewal of aging structures and communities throughout the state, and promote the development of affordable housing.

The bill will create a 20% state tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic structures listed on the California Register of Historic Places.  An additional 5% bonus can be granted for certain projects, such as affordable housing for lower-income households and projects in transit-oriented developments or regions with high unemployment and poverty rates. All projects must be approved by the California Office of Historic Preservation and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee to determine if a project qualifies. The tax credit goes into effect on January 1, 2021.

“The California State Historic Tax Credit is an important tool that we can use to revitalize communities throughout California,” said Cindy Heitzman, Executive Director, California Preservation Foundation. “This is a major victory for every Californian who believes that our architectural and cultural heritage is worth protecting.”

The State Historic Tax Credit will help to address the critical need for affordable housing in underutilized historic buildings by providing an important financial incentive. Between 2007 and 2017 over 38% of all federal historic tax credit projects in California created new housing units or improved existing units. Of that amount over half were affordable housing projects, and SB 451 will make even more of these projects feasible.

Since February, the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) and the American Institute of Architects, California Council have led a major coalition to shepherd the bill through the legislature, working directly with California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins. The bill received broad support from organized labor, affordable housing groups, historic preservation organizations and local governments.  This effort built on the work CPF did in 2014 to pass AB 1999, the first version of this legislation. While it passed both houses of the California legislature, it was ultimately vetoed by then Governor Jerry Brown.

“This legislation will breathe new life into the buildings that give our cities and communities character and charm…Further, the Historic Tax Credit will increase the supply of affordable housing, support growth through infill development and encourage property rehabilitation and maintenance in economically depressed areas,” said Senator Atkins.

When asked if this is something that could benefit Antioch’s Roswell Butler Hard House, the home of the city’s first mayor, located at 815 West First Street, City Manager Ron Bernal asked Community Development Director Forrest Ebbs to look into it. The home is #93001020 on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information about the Hard House, visit the Wikipedia page or the Facebook page.

About the Federal Tax Credit

Since 1976, the Federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) has offered tax credits equal to 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures (QRE) for the rehabilitation of certified historic buildings, such as those listed on the National Register of Historic Places or architecturally contributing to a National Register district. Over the last 4 decades, more than 35 states have passed their own bills to boost this tax credit, making thousands of projects financially feasible.

From 2002 to 2016, $468.1 million in Federal Historic Tax Credits catalyzed 169 projects in California, totaling $2.8 billion in qualifying rehabilitation expenditures. This activity has generated:

• 39,279 jobs
• $2.8 billion in Gross State Product
• $160 million in state and local taxes
• $493.3 million in federal taxes
• $468.1 million in federal tax credits

SB 451 will provide further incentive for historic rehabilitation, increase the supply of affordable housing, support growth through infill development, and encourage property rehabilitation and maintenance in economically depressed areas. Below are a few examples of the types of projects that will benefit from SB 451, but there are hundreds more stories just like these throughout California. The tax credit will make these kinds of projects more feasible, and will encourage meaningful investments in communities across the state.

For more information:

Bill Text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB451

Images and additional information: https://californiapreservation.org/tax-credit-press/

Press Release from Senator Toni Atkins on the passage of SB 451: https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/news/20190912-press-release-atkins%E2%80%99-tax-credit-historic-preservation-passes-assembly

Preservation & State Historic Tax Credits overview from the National Trust for Historic Preservation: https://forum.savingplaces.org/learn/fundamentals/economics/tax-credits/state-htc

2017 Report from the National Park Service on the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit’s impact: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/htc2017.htm

Case Statement: https://californiapreservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Case-Statement.pdf

Allen Payton contributed to this report. 

By Sergeant James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2019 the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged 25-year-old Tearri Richard and 24-year-old Lakia Poles, both of Antioch, with murder, for the killing of 57-year-old Raul Garcia of Oakland. Richard was also charged with an arming enhancement and a special allegation of drive-by-murder. (See related articles, here and here).

On Sunday, September 1, 2019, at approximately 9:20 PM, an argument between several subjects started in the east driveway of the Chevron Gas Station located at 1235 California Avenue in Pittsburg. The argument appears to be over a road rage incident. The road rage incident continued into Antioch where Garcia was shot and killed in the 3400 Block of Rio Grande Drive.

No further information will be released regarding this case at this time. Any further information or additional press releases will be provided by the Investigations Bureau. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Gonzalez at (925) 779-6923, or the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

By Steve Miner

The Cornerstone Christian High School Cougars football team has built up a record of 7-0 in their league and is ranked fifth in the state in their division, this season. That’s part of their 16-game win streak which dates back to the 2018 season when they went 9-0 and won the league championship. This is Cornerstone’s third year in 8-man football of the Pacific Coast Athletic League.

“We knew we had a special group of student athletes when the 2020 class was in junior high, we just wanted them to stay for high school so we could build a program around them,” said Logan Heyer, the Head Coach and Principal at Cornerstone. “Five of these players are also on our NCS Champion basketball team. We have created a great program for kids to come in and compete at a high level athletically.”

The team is led by a group of eight seniors that have played together for three years. They lost last year’s league MVP Michael Valle to a broken leg after game five but have not skipped a beat. Caed Miner and Matthew Broad have stepped up in Valle’s absence. In the first two games without Valle, Miner is responsible for 10 touchdowns either running or passing and Broad has rushed for over 300 yards.

“We lost a dynamic player in Michael, but we are still a very physical team” Heyer said about the loss of Valle. “It all starts with our offensive line featuring seniors Malcolm Russel, Dominic Waldecker, Dominic Tsukerman and Junior Kevin Sousa. They do a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage and our skill guys have some huge holes to run through.”

The Cougars have already beaten last year’s NCS champions, The Branson School Bulls of Ross, CA, and the runners up, the South Fork High Cubs of Miranda, CA, this year.

“We play in a Central Coast Section league but will be eligible for the NCS playoffs this year,” Heyer explained. “NCS just started a playoff for 8-man football last year. NCS has been this team’s clear goal from day one of practice.”

Cornerstone has been dominant on both offense and defense scoring an average of 62 points while only allowing 21 per game.

By CHP-Contra Costa

Saturday night, Oct. 12, 2019 at approximately 11:26 pm, CHP Contra Costa responded to a three-vehicle collision on Delta Road, just east of Main Street, in unincorporated Contra Costa county. Upon CHP and emergency personnel arrival, an Infiniti sedan had crashed into a Ford pickup and then into a parked Dodge sedan on Delta Road, where it came to rest. The driver of the Infiniti (22-year-old male from Byron) unfortunately did not survive and was pronounced deceased at the scene. It was also determined he was not wearing his seatbelt. His female passenger (21-years-old from Oakley) sustained moderate injuries only and the solo male driver of the Ford sustained minor injuries only. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office will be handling the release of identity of the deceased male.

Our preliminary investigation indicates the following; the male driver of Ford pickup was traveling east on Delta road and preparing to make a left turn into his residence. The male driver of the Infiniti was approaching the slower moving Ford, preparing to turn, at a high rate of speed. The driver of the Infiniti drove into the westbound traffic lane in an attempt to pass the Ford. As the Ford driver began his left turn, the Infiniti driver crashed into the left side of the Ford at a high rate of speed causing major damage. The Infiniti then continued east on Delta and then crashed into a parked Dodge sedan on the north side of the roadway, also causing major damage. Tragically the male driver of the Infiniti was not wearing his seatbelt and died as a result of the collision. The female passenger was wearing her seatbelt, sustained moderate injuries, and was transported by helicopter to John Muir hospital in Walnut Creek and has since been released. The male driver of the Ford sustained minor injuries and was transported to Kaiser hospital in Antioch and has also since been released.

At this time, it is unknown if alcohol or drug impairment were a factor in this collision, but speed certainly was a contributing factor. If anyone witnessed this collision or the events leading up to it, call CHP in Martinez at 925-646-4980. Thank you.

Fatality collisions and the loss of a young life are always tragic and especially if it was preventable. Seatbelts really do save lives so please buckle up every time you or passengers are in a vehicle. And please slow down at all times.

The Drama Factory presents Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

October 18, 19, 25, 26 at 7:30 pm

October 19, 20, 26 at 1:30 pm

From the original Grimm Brothers story, a fairy tale to chill and excite families during the Halloween season. A Drama Factory production for sure.

Nick Rodriguez Theatre, 213 F Street, Rivertown, Antioch

General Admission $10, Seniors $8

Matinee Oct. 26 at 1:30 PM is Free Senior Sunday. Box Office opens half hour before showtime, no advance ticket sales. For more information visit http://www.dramafactory.org.