By Allen Payton

In this digital day and age, the Antioch Herald has had an oversight by only offering a hard copy and snail mail approach to voting in the 2015 Antioch People’s Choice Awards.

Someone say “duh!?!”

You can now email in your ballot to us at info@antiochherald.com by Saturday, March 14 (that’s tomorrow) and save yourself the time and cost of mailing or dropping off your ballot to our office.

So, if you haven’t yet voted and still want to choose your favorite Antioch businesses for special recognition and be entered to win gift certificates from local businesses, then download a ballot by clicking on the link at the top of our Home Page, completing it and emailing it to us. Ballots must be received, postmarked or date stamped by tomorrow, March 14.

Thank you for participating, forgiving us for this oversight and welcoming us to the 21^st Century! LOL

The Antioch Police Department is excited to announce the 59th installment of the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. This is a collaborative community effort which involves active participation from The Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission; Neighborhood Watch Program; Volunteers in Police Service; community volunteers and the Public Works Department.

The next Neighborhood Cleanup event will occur on Saturday, March 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Canada Valley/Laurel Road neighborhoods. Volunteers should report to Kushner Way off Canada Valley Road for parking.

Volunteers will receive instructions and the equipment necessary to accomplish the goal. The targeted area is within walking distance. Excluding inclement weather, future Neighborhood Cleanup events are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month and the locations will be announced in advance.

Join Los Medanos College (LMC) in celebrating 40 years of serving the communities of East Contra Costa County. The College will be hosting an open house for all ages on Saturday, March 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event will include the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the College’s new Student Services Center, tours of the campus; music, dance and dramatic arts performances; workshops on college and career success, and the College’s support programs; the opportunity to see inside many of LMC’s academic departments; planetarium shows; arts and crafts activities; and an opportunity to meet representatives of student clubs and organizations. All ages are welcome to this free community event.

The event is free and a parking permit is not required. The campus is located at 2700 East Leland Road in Pittsburg.

Activities include:

– campus tours

– workshops on how to get started in college, career pathways,

– opportunities to learn about LMC’s academic programs and athletics

– planetarium shows

– theater performances: scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

– welders in action

– chemistry experiments including gummy bear explosions and making “elephant toothpaste”

– the LMC fire truck used to train firefighters

– Mexican bark paintings and other crafts (especially for kids)

– a mock archeology dig

– dance team performances

– music performances by the faculty, the college’s jazz band, and other music students

– ceramics demonstrations

– blood pressure checks by nursing students

– a chance to make DNA bracelets

– hands-on biology activities

– physics experiments and demos

– information about the college’s Brentwood Center

– American Sign Language (ASL) demonstrations

– open labs for computer science, appliance service technology, math, graphic arts/photography, journalism, English, emergency medical services

The campus will open at 10:00 with activity booths, the library and art gallery. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Student Services Center will take place at 10:30 a.m. Workshops, demonstrations and open departments will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.

Food will be available for purchase. Two food trucks will offer a wide variety of entrees, the college’s cafeteria will be open, and student clubs will be offering snacks and beverages.

LMC’s new Student Services Building was completed in January 2015 and is home to the many services that students need to facilitate and support their success at the college. This includes services such as Admissions & Records, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Disabled Students Programs & Services, Career Services, Counseling, Equal Opportunity Programs & Services, CARE and CalWORKS, along with the college’s leadership and instructional administration.

Los Medanos College opened its doors in 1974 on a 120-acre site near the boundary between the cities of Pittsburg and Antioch. For 40 years, the college has served the communities of East Contra Costa County, and students from Antioch, Liberty, Mt. Diablo, and Pittsburg Unified School Districts, as well as adults of all ages. Tens of thousands of students have attended Los Medanos College during its many years of service to the community.

The name of the college derives from the 8,000-acre Rancho Los Medanos, which was one of the last land grants made by the Mexican government when California was still a territory of Mexico. Rancho Los Medanos covered almost all of Pittsburg and Antioch, including the current site of the college. Translated into English, the name of the college refers to inland sand dunes or sand hills, which may be a reference to the sandy terrain that characterizes eastern Contra Costa County with its long history of sand mining.

Today Los Medanos College, as one of 112 community colleges with the California Community College System, is a thriving center of higher education activity. The college offers courses leading to transfer credit at senior colleges and universities, general education and major coursework leading to associate degrees, and courses leading to certificates of achievement.

LMC’s educational programs provide cutting-edge, rigorous workforce and advanced education preparation. The College’s efforts are strengthened by regional business and industry support as well as collaboration with K-12, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. As the leading force in the economic development of eastern Contra Costa County, Los Medanos College offers high-quality instruction supported by the latest technology while still maintaining the personal touch and family orientation for which the college is known. To further meet the needs of local residents and businesses in Brentwood, Discovery Bay and Oakley, the College provides an educational center in Brentwood.

More information about the college’s history and open house can be found at www.losmedanos.edu/openhouse.

The 2015 Inaugural Gala is fast approaching.

The Antioch Chamber of Commerce is hosting our Annual Inaugural Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 13, 2015 at the Lone Tree Golf Course & Event Center. During our evening, we award and recognize our Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, Youth of the Year and inaugurate our 2015 Chamber Board.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, March 13, 2015

Time: 6pm Social Hour, 7pm Dinner

Where: Lone Tree Golf Course and Event Center, 4800 Golf Course Road, Antioch

Purchase your ticket or table and secure your spot at the event!

We invite you to join us in this celebration and enjoy the festivities as we recognize those that have made an impact in our community. Tickets are now on sale at $75 per person and $575 for a table of 8. Tickets can be purchased securely online at the Antioch Chamber of Commerce website by clicking here.

No tickets will be sold at the door. Enjoy a premier event with a red carpet and local dignitaries recognizing the best of our community.

 

No tickets will be sold at the door. Enjoy a premier event with a red carpet and local dignitaries recognizing the best of our community.