By Corporal D. Pfeiffer #3707, Antioch Police Support Services Bureau

On October 28th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Antioch Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 14th opportunity in seven years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Antioch Police Department at 300 L Street, Antioch, CA. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps; only pills or patches). The service is free and anonymous – no questions asked.

Last April, Americans turned in 450 tons (over 900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds (more than 4,050 tons) of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 28th Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website or contact Corporal Pfeiffer of the Antioch Police Department at (925-779-6909).

Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College-Pleasant Hill Campus, Diablo Valley College-San Ramon Campus, Los Medanos College-Pittsburg Campus, Los Medanos College-Brentwood Center, will resume a regular class schedule and student services beginning today, Friday, October 13.  Outdoor sport activities will continue to be limited until further notice, but indoor activities including theater performances will still be held as scheduled.

The weather forecast for this weekend calls for increasing winds that may hamper firefighting efforts and contribute to poor air quality.  We encourage students and staff to continue monitoring email, website and social media over the weekend for any updates.

Street Corner Renaissance – What Doo Wap Is All About

Friday October 13, 2017 8:00 pm

Reserved Seating

​Still flying high from their appearance on NBC’s The Sing-Off, Street Corner Renaissance bring their smooth singing style to the El Campanil Theatre. Not just another vocal group, Street Corner Renaissance are cultural ambassadors, breathing new life into classic doo-wop music. The quintet performs a tribute to Sam Cooke, a rousing gospel celebration, a civil rights anthem and more, their superb harmonies standing out in all the material they take on. Led by NAACP Award winner Maurice Kitchen, Street Corner Renaissance has opened for Chuck Berry, Kool and the Gang, Boyz II Men and many more top acts.

Adults: $27, Seniors (62 & Older): $25, Youth: $10

SuperHuey – The Ultimate Huey Lewis Experience

Saturday October 21, 2017  8:00 pm 

Reserved Seating

THE HEART OF ROCK N ROLL IS STILL BEATING!

SuperHuey – The Ultimate Huey Lewis Experience is the only show of it’s kind anywhere in the Nation. This 7-piece explosion of 1980’s rock power performs across the United States thrilling appreciative audiences of all ages at fairs, festivals, arenas, sporting events and showrooms with their super high-energy faithful renditions of feel-good music that defined a generation.

Adults: $27, Seniors (62 & Older):  $25, Youth: (under 18): $10 (Accompanied by Adult or Senior)

The Vagabond Players – The Odd Couple (Female Version)

Sunday October 22, 2017  2:00 pm 

General Seating

by Neil Simon

The Odd Couple (Female Version) is just what it says: Felix and Oscar become Florence and Olive, mismatched roommates in Neil Simon’s adaptation of his own play. There’s smart, audience-friendly dialogue and kooky characters. The play opens at Olive’s sloppy apartment as she hosts a ladies’ night. Florence shows up late and upset because she’s just broken up with her husband. With nowhere else to go, she moves in with Olive. The scene is set. A hilarious contemporary classic.

Tickets:  Adults: $15, Seniors (62 & Older): $13, Youth (17 & Under): $10

Broadway Repertory Theater presents Nunsense

Saturday October 28, 2017  2:00 and 7:30 pm

Reserved Seating

From the same artistic team that brought you Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Nunsense begins when the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth-grade production of “Grease.” Here we meet Reverend Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne; Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. Featuring star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz, and comic surprises, this show has become an international phenomenon. With more than 5000 productions worldwide, it has been translated into 21 languages.

About Broadway Repertory Theater

We are a group of like-minded instrumentalists, performers, producers and crew. Based in Brentwood, CA, we are a company that performs in a variety of venues.

Broadway Repertory Theater is made of performers, back and front of house volunteers, costumers, and scenic design award winners, all who have enjoyed working with artistic Director Steve Kinsella in the past, and are looking forward to the artistic direction he will take our new company in the future.

Typically, our casts and artistic teams include multiple award winning talent.

Adults: $23, Seniors (62 & older): $19, Youth: $12

Ballet Folklorico Costa de Oro presents

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Sunday October 29, 2017  3:00 pm

Reserved Seating

Tickets:  Adults: $25, Seniors (62 & Older):  $20, Youth (Under 18): $10

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey.

About Ballet Folklorico Costa de Oro

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Ballet Folklórico Costa de Oro is considered a rising star in the northern California folklórico scene as well as in other areas of the country. Formed in 2005 as an offshoot of another Bay Area folklórico troupe, Costa de Oro’s principal artists have been dancing together for many years, some since their early teens. Several lead dancers have performed with the world-famous Ballet Folklórico de México of Amalia Hernandez while other company members have trained in Mexico as well. The Ballet Folklórico Costa de Oro is known for its creative choreography and its comprehensive performance repertoire.  Arizona’s Coolidge News calls it, “tightly choreographed and expertly performed,” and the Honolulu Weekly writes that it is a, “treasure chest of Mexican traditions.” Most recently the company was featured at the world-renowned San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival in June 2013.

For more information and tickets visit www.elcampaniltheatre.com or call the Box Office at (925) 757-9500 Mon-Fri 10 am – 2 pm and one hour before show times.

Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, and centers at Brentwood and San Ramon, will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, October 12, due to poor air quality as a result of the fires in Solano and Sonoma counties.

The District will evaluate the situation and provide an update as new information becomes available.  We encourage students and staff to continue monitoring email, website and social media.

By Corporal Ted Chang #4362, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 5:40 pm, Antioch Police officers and medical personnel were dispatched to a reported vehicle versus pedestrian collision on Fairview Drive near Hudson Court. Officers arrived on scene and located a female pedestrian that had been struck by an SUV in the roadway.

Medical personnel arrived shortly after and began treating the female victim. She was immediately transported to an area hospital with major injuries. Her condition is not known at this time. The driver of the SUV stayed on scene and is cooperating with the investigation. Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in this collision.

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

This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Bureau. Anyone with information is asked to call 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.

According to a message on the Antioch Unified School District’s Facebook page about 6:00 p.m., Wednesday night, “The following autodialer is going out to all parents. It was sent out just a few moments ago so you may not get it immediately.”

“This is Stephanie Anello, Superintendent, with an important safety announcement from the Antioch Unified School District. Given the extreme poor air quality due to the recent, ongoing wildfires, schools will be closed tomorrow. Please know that your child’s safety was the primary factor leading to this decision. Many of our students walk or ride the…ir bike to and from school and will be exposed to the poor air quality even if we were to remain open and shelter in place as we did today. Currently, it is being reported that only three percent of the fires have been contained. Thus, we expect that the air quality will be even more dangerous tomorrow. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you but, again, your child’s safety is our number one concern. At this point school is only closed Thursday, but pending the containment of the fires, we ask that you make a short-term plan for your children should we need to close schools on Friday. We will be in contact with you as soon as possible should that be necessary.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our schools and our District as we work to ensure your child’s health is not compromised in any way.”

In addition, the following message was received by Herald Sports Reporter Jesus Cano from an Antioch High School football coach:

 

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a measure that will give Bay Area voters a chance to create an independent inspector general for BART to hold the sprawling transit district accountable for its spending, service to riders, and timely delivery of capital projects.

The inspector general was proposed by state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, as part of a bill, SB 595, by Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose) that will ask voters to raise bridge tolls to fund transportation projects designed to relieve traffic congestion in the bridge corridors.

Glazer wanted voters to be given the option of creating the accountability czar as a condition of his support for placing the measure on the ballot. Other major transit agencies, including those in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, have long had inspector generals to serve as an independent check on the bureaucracy.

“If an independent check is good enough for transit systems in most of our major metropolitan areas, it should be good enough for BART,” Glazer said. “BART will get about one billion dollars from toll revenues generated by this measure, so it’s vital that riders and residents have someone who be the public’s eyes and ears and will hold BART’s administration accountable.”

If approved by voters, the inspector general would be appointed by the governor from a list of three finalists nominated by the BART board. The person could be fired only with a two-thirds vote of the board and the governor’s agreement.

The BART inspector general would be tasked with investigating fraud, waste and inefficiencies, conducting audits and recommending changes in the agency’s practices that will improve services to riders.

Glazer, who has been critical of management-union relations that resulted in eight days of strikes in 2013, required in the inspector general’s job description that they assess whether  management was using best practices to promote “positive and productive” relations with employees and their representatives.

“BART employees have as much to gain as the riding public by having an inspector general ensure that trains run on time, stations are safe and clean, and escalators and elevators work,” Glazer said. “They are hard-working, dedicated public servants who deserve an effective ally.”

Glazer also pushed for amendments to the bill that ensured Contra Costa and Alameda county commuters would see a fair share of congestion relief projects if the toll increases become a reality.

Projects to improve traffic flow on Interstate 680 and rebuild interchanges where 680 connects to state routes 4 and 84 were included in the final version of the proposed spending plan.

Glazer said he was proud of the collaborative process led by Sen. Beall, and Assemblymen David Chiu and Phil Ting of San Francisco and other members of the Bay Area legislative delegation. Members from throughout the region were able to provide input into the final proposal that included the crucial provision to oversee BART’s administration and spending.

“I look forward to voters determining whether to fund projects designed to relieve congestion throughout the entire region and providing independent oversight of BART,” Glazer said.

Glazer represents the 7th State Senate District in the California legislature which includes Antioch.