First place winners Ballet Folklorico De Antioch. All photos by Allen Payton

Celebrate Antioch Foundation (CAF) has announced this year the annual Antioch Holiday DeLites Parade had three overall winners as judged by Antioch residents Antwon Webster, Connie Komar and Susan Welch.

“We appreciate all the participants and entries in the Holiday DeLites parade,” said Joy Motts, President of Celebrate Antioch Foundation. “We look forward to more participants for next year’s parade during the City’s Sesquicentennial celebration.”

Congratulations to the winners!

1st Place – Ballet Folklorico De Antioch

2nd Place – Elite Dance

Second place winners Elite Dance.

3rd Place – Melody’s Dance Studio

3rd place winners Melody’s Dance Studio.

See photos of all this year’s parade entries as well as the Antioch Menorah lighting for Chanukah and Antioch Christmas Tree lighting by clicking, here.

For more information about CAF and next year’s City of Antioch Sesquicentennial – Celebrating 150 Years of Cityhood, visit www.celebrateantioch.org or visit their Facebook page.

Offers classes at two locations in Antioch

Be Exceptional is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to provide recreational classes and social events for people facing developmental, physical, and emotional challenges.

They currently hold classes in the following three locations:

• Elite Dance Center at 304 G St., Antioch
• Antioch Community Center at 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch
• Brentwood Community Center at 35 Oak St., Brentwood

For more information visit their website.

The event will support former Center for the San Francisco 49ers and Antioch native Jeremy Newberry’s non-profit organization, Newberry’s B.L.O.C.K. which stands for Benefiting Leagues Offering Children Kindness. It provides underprivileged children the opportunity to participate in sports by sponsoring scholarships and equipment to youth programs. For more information visit www.facebook.com/NewberrysBlock.

https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/KiwanisHolidayRun

Use bats and hammers for smash and grab robbery in Fairfield store; similar to jewelry store robbery at Sun Valley mall in Concord, Monday

By Fairfield Police Department

Fairfield Police Department’s Investigations Division Recovers $50,000 worth of stolen jewelry. On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, around 2:10 pm, Fairfield Police Department Dispatch received calls regarding individuals entering a jewelry store at the Solano Town Center Mall and using bats and hammers to break the glass counter tops to steal jewelry. The suspects then fled the area. No one was injured during the incident.

Fairfield Police Department’s Investigation Division responded and took over the case. Through outstanding investigative work, the suspect vehicle was located in Antioch, California. 19-year-old, Dominick Desouza from Antioch was arrested and booked into the Solano County Jail on robbery charges. A 16-year-old male and 17-year-old male were also booked into Solano County Juvenile Hall. Investigations was able to recover $50,000 worth of stolen jewelry.

This case is still under investigation and no other information is being released at this time.

The robbery was similar to a smash and grab robbery of a Concord jewelry store at the Sun Valley Shopping Center on Monday, Nov. 15. Calls to the Fairfield Police Department asking if some of the recovered jewelry was from the Concord robbery were not responded to prior to publication time.  (See related article)

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants who are interested in serving on its 20-member Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC). The JJCC currently has the following five (5) vacancies:

• At-Large Representative (3)
• Community Based Organization Representative (2)

The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council is a multiagency advisory body that informs the development and implementation of a countywide juvenile justice plan composed of several critical parts, including, but not limited to an assessment of existing law enforcement, probation, education, mental health, health, social services, drug and alcohol and youth services resources, which specifically target both at-promise as well as system-involved youth, and their families.

The JJCC will also coordinate on a countywide basis the work of those governmental and non-governmental organizations engaged in activities designed to reduce the incidence of juvenile crime and delinquency in the greater community, develop information and intelligence-sharing systems to ensure that county actions are fully coordinated, and provide data and appropriate outcome measures.

The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council is composed of the following 20 members:

Ten (10) Ex‐Officio Members: 

• Chief Probation Officer, as Chair
• District Attorney’s Office representative
• Public Defender’s Office representative
• Sheriff’s Office representative
• Board of Supervisors’ representative
• Employment and Human Services Department representative
• Behavioral Health Services representative
• Alcohol and Other Drugs Division representative
• Public Health representative
• Juvenile Justice Commission Chair

Ten (10) Additional Members, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, as follows: 

• City Police Department representative
• County Office of Education or a School District representative
• Four (4) At-Large members, residing or working within County of Contra Costa
• Two (2) Community-Based Organization representatives
• Two (2) At-Large youth, fourteen to twenty-five years old and residing or working within County of Contra Costa

Appointments to the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council will be for a term of two years. The JJCC meets monthly October through April, and bi-monthly the remainder of the year. Members have the option to serve on two (2) subcommittees that each currently meet on a monthly basis.

Applications will be due by 5 p.m. on December 3, 2021, and all timely applicants will be invited to the public interview process conducted by the Board of Supervisors’ Public Protection Committee:  Supervisors Candace Andersen, District II, and Federal Glover, District V. This committee will then recommend a selection of applicants for Board of Supervisors to appoint to the Racial Justice Oversight Body.

Below is a complete timeline of this recruitment process to fill the five (5) vacant JJCC seats: 

• December 3: Final Day of the Application Period, due by 5:00 p.m.
• December 16: Public Protection Committee Meeting: Interviews
• January 11: Board of Supervisors Appointments

Application forms can be obtained from the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors by calling (925) 655-2000 or by visiting the County webpage at www.contracosta.ca.gov/3418/. Completed applications should be emailed to ClerkoftheBoard@cob.cccounty.us. Applications can also be mailed to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors Office at 1025 Escobar Street, 1st Floor, Martinez, CA 94553.

Poetry Out Loud (POL) is an exciting national competition started in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The contest challenges high school students to memorize and recite poetry, a chance to showcase their talents, build self-confidence, and gain both an appreciation and understanding of poetry.

The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County has been an official local partner of California Arts Council’s for Poetry Out Loud since 2007. Every Contra Costa County high school is encouraged to participate. Local arts non-profit organizations and libraries are welcome and encouraged to participate as well. Each year ten to fifteen high schools representing East, West, and Central County have participated. These include public schools, private schools, charter schools, alternative schools, court schools, and homeschool groups.

Poetry Out Loud is a free program!

There is no cost to either the school or the students.

HOW DOES POL WORK?

Poetry Out Loud is a tiered competition structure that begins in the classroom. High school teachers use the free Poetry Out Loud teacher toolkit (https://www.poetryoutloud.org/teachers-organizers/lesson-plans/) to teach poetry recitation and run classroom competitions. Class winners advance to the school-wide competition, then one school champion enters the county competition. The County winner is eligible to compete in the state competition, and the state winner competes in the national finals in Washington D.C. for a grand prize of $20,000.

Poetry Out Loud has been made accessible to accommodate in-person and virtual teaching environments at the school level. Additional information on this year’s hybrid model will be shared with participating schools.

Please complete form by 12/15/21! POETRY OUT LOUD 2021-22

Please feel free to email our county coordinator, Brennan DeFrisco, at bdeeppoetry@gmail.com or call (925) 984-4031 for any questions you may have.

Thank you for your interest in supporting Poetry Out Loud!