SALT LAKE CITY (Grassroots Newswire) November 5, 2019 – The following local residents have earned their degree from Western Governors University (WGU). The online, nonprofit university held its 71st (Cincinnati, Ohio); 72nd (Anaheim, California); 73rd (Salt Lake City, UT); and 74th (Seattle, Washington) commencement ceremonies in the spring and summer of this year to celebrate the recent graduation of more than 10,000 students from across the country.

• David Huntley of Antioch has earned his Master of Business Administration degree
• Patricia Valdepena of Antioch has earned her Bachelor of Science, Nursing degree
• Capricia Borrero of Pittsburg has earned her Master of Science, Management and Leadership degree

WGU has recognized 5,750 undergraduate and 4,488 graduate degree recipients, who have completed their degrees since June 24, 2019. Their areas of study include business, K-12 education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. The average time to graduation for those earning a bachelor’s degree was 2 years, 3 months, while the average time to degree for graduate programs was 1 year, 7 months. The average age for those who graduated is 38 years old.

WGU pioneered competency-based education, which measures learning rather than time spent in class. Designed to meet the needs of working adults, students study and learn on their own schedules with individualized, one-to-one faculty support. They complete courses as soon as they demonstrate that they have mastered the subject matter; allowing them to move quickly through material they already know so they can allocate time for what they still need to learn. As a result, many WGU students are able to accelerate their studies, saving both time and money.

About WGU

Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves more than 119,000 students nationwide and has more than 158,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nation’s leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In just 21 years, the university has become a leading influence in changing the lives of individuals and families, and preparing the workforce needed in today’s rapidly evolving economy. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and was featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. Learn more at www.wgu.edu.

Screenshot from KRON4 TV News report.

By Lieutenant John Fortner, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, at approximately 7:10 PM, Antioch police officers were called to the area of Morro Drive and La Jolla Drive on the report of several gunshots in the area. As officers responded, two victims arrived at a local area hospital suffering from gunshot wounds. A 17-year-old female victim succumbed to her injuries in the emergency room, and a 17-year-old male was treated for a non-fatal gunshot wound.

According to a KRON4 TV News report, “According to police, officers responded to a call reporting shots fired around 7:10 p.m. in the area of Hillcrest Avenue and Bellflower Drive.

Around that time, dispatchers received a call from one of the victims who stated they were shot in their car and had driven to Kaiser Hospital on Deer Valley Road.

While officers were en route to the hospital, dispatchers received several more calls reporting shots fired in the area of Point Arena Court and Morro Drive, which is close to a mile away from the first shooting call.

According to police, two men were seen running away from the scene.

Officials said they found evidence indicating there was a shooting near Morro Drive and Point Arena Court.”

The Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau responded to the scene and took over the investigation. At this time, the suspect responsible for this shooting has not been located. Currently, the investigation is still active and evidence is being collected.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441, or Detective Gonzalez at (925) 779-6923. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

John O’Connor and his wife, Tere.

By Luke Johnson

A man fell into the trackway – about 30 feet in front of an oncoming train – and a BART employee immediately thought:

“Oh, he ain’t gonna make it.”

However, the employee got on his knees and reached over the trackway – putting himself in harm’s way. He then grabbed the fallen man and pulled him to safety with inches to spare. This all happened in a matter of three seconds. (See BART video)

Photo courtesy of John O’Connor.

The hero: John O’Connor, 55, who has lived in Antioch for 28 years. He’s also a former assistant football coach for the Antioch High Panthers and has worked for BART for the past 24 years.

He was working at the Coliseum Station after the Oakland Raiders game Sunday, Nov. 3 to provide extra supervision for the overflowing postgame crowd – which was needed to say the least.

“That’s what I’m here for,” O’Connor said. “God was with us at that moment.”

He added that it doesn’t sound right to be called a hero, because people in the military, police and fire department save lives all the time and he doesn’t believe he belongs in that category.

“It seemed a lot slower than it actually happened (on video),” O’Connor said during a press conference. “He came to the side, I figured he wasn’t going to make it so I grabbed him and pulled him up to the platform. That’s what we do. We got foreworkers, train operators, station agents who deal with this on a daily basis. We preach safety, and we practice it.”

Although he may not identify as a hero, this Thursday the Raiders will honor him as one. The team will host him in front of the Thursday Night Football audience as this week’s “Hometown Hero.”

O’Connor during the press conference. Photo by BART.

BART said the young man who stumbled onto the trackway was intoxicated.

After O’Connor pulled the young man to safety, he lifted him from the ground, embraced him with a hug and said, “It’s OK.” Meanwhile, other BART riders cheered for O’Connor for saving the young man’s life.

The moment was captured on video and posted to Twitter – which quickly went viral and can be seen, here.

The story has been all over the news and has even garnered national attention. O’Connor said if it weren’t for that video, many people would not have known what happened, and it would have become “just another good drinkin’ story.”

Renter lied about reason for renting Airbnb home.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

The Orinda Police Department and the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff continue to investigate a shooting that occurred on the 100 block of Lucille Way in Orinda on Thursday, October 31, 2019, at about 10:50 PM.

Orinda Police Officers, along with law enforcement officers from throughout the county, arrived on scene and found a house party with over 100 attendees. The party-goers apparently came from throughout the Bay Area for the Halloween event, which was advertised on social media. The party took place in a home that was found on a short-term rental website.

According to the Associated Press, the home was rented by a woman who “lied to hair Airbnb host, saying she only needed a place to keep her family members away from wildfire smoke”.

Arriving Officers found a highly chaotic scene that included gunshot victims, injured party-goers, and numerous people fleeing the scene. Officers triaged the victims, cleared the location for safety and safeguarded the crime scene. Law enforcement officers found three gunshot victims who were later pronounced deceased at the scene. Another died at the hospital.

The victims are identified as 22-year-old Tiyon Farley of Antioch, 24-year-old Omar Taylor of Pittsburg, 23-year-old Ramon Hill Jr. of San Francisco/Oakland and 29-year-old Javin County of Sausalito/Richmond. An additional victim has been pronounced deceased at a local hospital. She is identified as 19-year-old Oshiana Tompkins of Vallejo/Hercules. There are now a total of five fatalities in this shooting.

Several other victims were transported to local hospitals by ambulance, while some victims transported themselves to the hospital. The injured suffered from gunshot wounds and injuries sustained while fleeing the scene.

A number of law enforcement agencies from the Bay Area assisted during the initial response as well as during the ongoing investigation. These include the Contra Costa D.A.’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Division Crime Lab responded to the home to process the scene. Two firearms were located in the house. The Crime Lab is analyzing the weapons to determine if they were used in the shooting or any other crimes. Numerous shell casings found at the scene are being processed and analyzed by the Crime Lab.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing with numerous interviews of witnesses and the analysis of evidence. The suspect is still outstanding.

Orinda Police Officers were yesterday called to the house at 9:19 PM and 10:25 PM regarding a noise complaint. At 10:48 PM, an officer was headed to the home to investigate the calls. The initial reports of shooting came in around 10:50 PM.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Orinda Police Department or Office of the Sheriff at (925) 646-2441. The Investigation Division can be reached at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

ANTIOCH – The farther outside of metropolitan areas people live the harder it can be for them to access healthcare services, in large part due to the time and money it takes to travel outside of the community for care. Diabetes education is no exception.

Now, people with diabetes can access the most up-to-date and accurate diabetes education without leaving the area. Recently, Sutter Delta Medical Center’s Outpatient Diabetes Center achieved accreditation by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), joining other affiliated hospitals within the Sutter Health integrated network of care.

Shahla Cano, R.D., a registered dietician, certified diabetes educator and board certified advance diabetes manager says the accreditation is important because, “We want to make sure our patients don’t have to travel for diabetes education. Forty-five to 50 percent of patients here in Eastern Contra Costa County have diabetes—and those are only the ones who know about it. Unfortunately, there are not that many resources available to a population that is so critically impacted.”

Sutter Delta’s accreditation by AADE means that the program operates based on evidence-based guidelines, offers approved educational materials, and the educators are accredited.

Cano says that all too often people don’t realize the dire consequences of unmanaged diabetes. More than that, people with Type 2 diabetes can easily fall into a “shame and blame” trap and end up feeling guilty, which impacts their motivation to seek care. She wants to see more people in the community get educated on what she calls the “basics of diabetes management.”

“It’s about the little things: taking the proper medications, taking care of your eyes and feet, and seeing your doctor,” she says.

Effective diabetes management is a team effort. It requires patient participation, effective education and communication with clinicians. Physicians don’t have the time to spend hours with individual patients, which is why Cano says resources like the Outpatient Diabetes Center are critical.

Sutter Delta’s accreditation is important for several reasons according to Cano. “The accreditation is recognized by the physicians. We have to follow certain standards. And it pushes us to follow evidence-based care. What we say to people carries a lot of weight, and if the information you give isn’t evidence-based, it could cause major harm. What I teach my patients is not something I am making up—it is based on years of research.”

Cano is proud of the accreditation because it helps Sutter Delta better serve the local community by providing easier access to diabetes education. “Diabetes education is a challenge, but we have to try because one person could make the difference. I want to give it everything I have because it could make a difference in one person’s life.”

Cano has a wealth of information she’s eager to share with members of the community living with diabetes, from diabetes management tips to information about glucose monitoring devices that may be covered by insurance.

The free Living Well with Diabetes Class is held once a month from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Sutter Delta Medical Center Education Center at 3901 Lone Tree Way in Antioch. The class covers:

• Weight management
• Stress reduction
• Blood sugar control
• Complication reduction

The class also includes a $5 lunch voucher for the hospital’s cafeteria.

Those who would like the schedule or are interested in registering can call the center at (925) 779-3605.

By Susan Shiu, Director, Contra Costa County Office of Communications and Media

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution at a special Board meeting today, November 1, 2019, ratifying the County Administrator’s October 27, 2019 proclamation of existence of a local emergency when the Board of Supervisors was not in session and could not immediately be called into session.

Contra Costa County issued a proclamation of local emergency due to severe weather conditions on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 4:37 pm when County Administrator David J. Twa, as the Administrator of Emergency Services, signed the proclamation.

The proclamation states that “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property have arisen within the County, caused by a severe weather event commencing at 8 p.m. on October 26, 2019. The velocity and duration of wind, coupled with low humidity, is driving wildfires in multiple locations, causing power disruptions, tree falls and infrastructure damage, and necessitating evacuations; and that these conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the County.”

Board Chair, Supervisor John Gioia, said, “The weather conditions were such that there were a series of fires one after another that led to evacuation orders in multiple parts of the County on that day alone. Throughout the local emergency, Con Fire and other fire district firefighters, Sheriff’s Office, County departments’ employees and other partners, including the National Weather Service, worked diligently to coordinate in the County’s Emergency Operation Center.”

The Supervisors all echoed this sentiment of pride in how the County worked together with multiple agencies and jurisdictions to keep residents safe and informed during an unprecedented local emergency affecting tens of thousands of Contra Costa residents.

“The County prepares for emergencies. Our teams did the work they were trained to do. We are grateful that there was no loss of human life,” says County Administrator David Twa. “We will continue to support residents and encourage you to stay prepared.”

To learn about and register for Contra Costa County’s Community Warning System, go to cwsalerts.com. Sign up to receive alerts, such as evacuation alerts, via voice, text and email. Follow @CoCoCWS, @CCCounty and other official sources on Twitter.

For safety and preparedness resources, go to https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/5435/Public-Safety-Emergency-Info.

Also guilty of possession of controlled substances.

By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa District Attorney

Earlier this week, a Contra Costa County jury convicted defendant Lisa K. Brown of Fremont, California of identity theft and practicing as a pharmacist without a valid license. Brown stole the identity of Lisa Brown of Maryland who is a licensed pharmacist in California and used the victim’s license number. The defendant worked at a Rite Aid in Antioch at the time of her arrest in 2017 and claimed to be a licensed pharmacist for two years.

Brown was also found guilty of possessing controlled substances amphetamine, phentermine, modafinil, codeine and dihydrocodeinone.

The defendant changed her name to Lisa Brown in January 2015 in Alameda County. Her prior name was Lisa Kessler. The defendant was a licensed pharmacist under the name of Lisa Kessler with license number 47276.

Brown obtained the victim’s license number and requested with the Board a change of address and a new identification card sent to an address in Menlo Park, California. The victim never knew the defendant, never requested an address change to Menlo Park nor asked for a new card during this time.

“The defendant did not only put the victim’s pharmacist license at risk, she also placed countless patients’ health at risk by furnishing drugs and medication to them without a valid pharmacist license. I am grateful to the jury for holding the Defendant accountable for her crimes,” said Deputy District Attorney Ryan Morris.

The Antioch Police Department was the lead investigative agency during the case. There was also an administrative investigation conducted by the California Board of Pharmacy.

The California Board of Pharmacy took administrative action against the license of Lisa Kessler. In April 2016 the Board revoked the license of Lisa Kessler.

Brown will be sentenced on December 20 before the Honorable Laurel Brady. She faces up to three years in state prison.

Case information: People v. Lisa K. Brown, Docket Number 05-190018-1