The Rotary Club of the Delta Haunted House fundraiser will be held at Dallas Ranch Middle School on Oct 29th and 30th, this year.

Scream Night is Saturday October 29th from 5 pm to 8 pm for the big kids and Spook Day is on Sunday October 30th from 11 am to 2 pm for the little kids with costume parade and trunk or treat – plus a less scary haunted house.

This is our second year – and should be lots of fun.

Entrance is free, but the tickets for the attractions are 50 cents each or 50 tickets for $20. This fundraiser benefits Antioch school libraries.

Dallas Ranch Middle School Vice Principal Paula McEvoy introduces panelists, Dr. Yenjean Hwang, Melissa Margain Field a military veteran, Julie Haas-Wajdowicz City of Antioch Environmental Resource Coordinator, and Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson. Photos by Hilda Parham

Dallas Ranch Middle School girls watch The Empowerment Project film on Tuesday on morning.

By Sal Sbranti

The Antioch Rotary Club is proud to again be sponsoring the screening of the film The Empowerment Project.  It will be shown at the four Antioch Middle Schools to all 8th Grade female students. The objective of the film is to create conversation and motivate young women on their own personal journey of empowerment as they follow the stories of the women in the film.Created by filmmakers Dana Michelle Cook and Sarah Moshman, the film travels 7,000 miles in its journey across the United States finding strong, positive role models in a wide variety of industries.These role models include a Four Star Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Social Entrepreneur, Pilot, Professional Athlete, Chef and an Architect.

“Antioch Rotary is very proud to be involved with Antioch Middle Schools bringing such a powerful program to our young ladies and hope to be able to move forward with a young men’s program,” said Milanka Schneiderman, Antioch Rotary Club President.

Besides the film, the Antioch Rotary Club arranged for four panelists, each a local, positive female role model, to be at each screening to discuss their professional careers and to answer any questions that students may have.

“We are very committed to the success of the youth in our local community of Antioch.  We want girls to know that their options are not limited and that there is a wide arrange of careers available to them,” Schneiderman added.

The “Empowerment Project” showed on Monday at Antioch High School for Park Middle School and Antioch Middle School students, and today at Dallas Ranch Middle School and Black Diamond Middle School.

Panelists include Iris Archuleta, Dr. Yenjean Hwang, Trine Gallegos, Amy Hilton, Lynnette Giacobazzi, Julie Haas-Wajdowicz, Dr. Stacey Duckett and Diane Aguinaga.

The theme of the project is “What would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail.” The girls were asked to write down their answers and at Black Diamond Middle School some of the answers were placed on a display.

As part of this project, the Antioch Rotary Club is working closely with the Principals of Antioch Middle Schools and their Vice-Principals: John Jimno, Ed Dacus, Phyllis James, Lindsay Wisely, Paula McAvoy, Asia Chhabra, Eva Padilla, Pamela Price and Julia Kent.A few years ago, Lindsay Wisely, along with Trine Gallegos, from Antioch High School started the concept of “Girl Power” with its theme of female empowerment and organized a group of 20 Antioch High School alumni to speak to the female students.

For further information regarding this program contact Sal Sbranti, our program coordinator at email address salsbranti@comcast.net. For more information on The Empowerment Project, visit www.empowermentproject.com. For more information about the Antioch Rotary Club, visit www.antiochrotaryclub.org.

Naomi Lomax. photos courtesy of Antioch Police

By Allen Payton

Antioch Police confirmed, today that Naomi Lomax the 15-year-old Antioch teen who went missing Saturday morning, September 17, is home safe.

“I can confirm she has been located safely,” said Corporal Gary Lowther of the Antioch Police Department.

When asked for more details, he responded, “that’s all I can say at this time.”

Lomax was found in San Diego by her mother, with the help of social media.

“It was a human trafficking situation, not a runaway,” said her mother Elizabeth Chavez. “She needs healing time. So, that’s all we’re ready to say, right now.”

Check back in a few days for more details.

Youth for Environment and Sustainability Conference to be held February 25 in San Francisco

The annual Youth for Environment and Sustainability, or YES, Conference, returns to the Bay Area at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 25, 2017, at the new Bay Area Metro Center at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco.

The free day-long regional conference will bring together middle and high school students from the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties to discuss topics ranging from climate change and public health to transportation and air pollution. The Bay Area Air Quality Management Districtand the Metropolitan Transportation Commission sponsor the annual conference.

“The YES Conference is an awesome regional gathering that jumpstarts student-led climate action in our schools and local communities,” said Noah Preute, a student from St. Vincent de Paul High School in Santa Rosa and a member of the student planning committee for the YES Conference. “I’m excited to help plan the conference and inform my generation on the serious consequences climate change and air pollution have on our lives and the planet.”

Registration for the event is now open at http://bit.ly/2cEYWkh. Teachers or youth development coordinators who register their studentsbefore October 30, 2016, will be entered into a drawing for a $250 grant for classroom youth leadership activities involving science, technology, engineering, art and math curriculum and sustainability.

A call for presentation proposals invites pioneering students, youth-leaders, teachers or youth advisors to present at the annual YES Conference. The deadline to submit a proposal is Wednesday, January 3, 2017. The online proposal submittal form is available now at http://bit.ly/2dhuevv.

Attending students will have the opportunity to learn directly from their peers’ efforts by discussing advocacy, communication, leadership development and skill building. The program will include interactive presentations led by students and youth leaders from various schools and cities in the region. The 2017YES conference will be the fourth year of bringing youth together to share information to address climate change. The conference was awarded the 2014 Breathe California Award in the public awareness category.

There is no cost to attend the conference and breakfast and lunch will be provided for participants. Parents and teachers are also welcome. Students are required to have their parents’ permission to attend. For complete conference details, visit www.sparetheairyouth.org/2017-yes-conference/.

The goal of the Spare the Air Youth program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and driving by increasing walking and biking as a transportation mode among youths and their familiesthereby improving air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Air District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties.

By Lieutenant D. Bittner #3252, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Sunday, September 18, 2016, Naomi Lomax (15 years old) was reported as a missing person. She was last seen around 7:00 a.m. on September 17, 2016 near the 4400 block of Wolf Way in Antioch. Her whereabouts are unknown at this time. She is described as being mixed-race, 5’03” tall, 120 lbs, dark curly hair dyed red, and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing black pants, a red flannel shirt, black shoes, and a black hat.

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is encouraged to call Detective Matt Allendorph with the Antioch Police Department at (925)779-6933. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.