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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 17, No. 3
Smart & Final fire called suspicious by Tony Kukulich
January 20, 2017
Rallying For Coach Gooch
Correspondent
A fire of suspicious origin broke out Sunday, Jan. 8, in the Smart & Final grocery store in Antioch, causing significant damage and injuring one employee. ConFire spokesman Capt. George Laing said a customer reported observing someone setting a fire in one of the aisles. According to reports, the store was busy Sunday afternoon and none of the employees saw the fire being set. Employees investigated the customer’s report and discovered a paper towel display ablaze in one of the aisles. Lisa Perez, Smart & Final’s service manager, called 911 to report the fire and began to evacuate customers and employees, while another employee attempted to put the fire out using a dry-chemical fire extinguisher. The employee was unable to extinguish the flames and evacuated the store after suffering minor smoke inhalation, for which he was treated on scene. see Fire page 26
Supporters protest the firing of Liberty volleyball coach Linda Ghilarducci. Page 5
The Perfect Prom Dress
Photo by Tony Kukulich
Firefighters utilized shopping carts to remove a large volume of burned and burning material from the Smart & Final grocery store. Officials are calling the blaze suspicious.
Report claims NorCal drought is over by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
As East County residents were dodging the rain last week, the deluge was sweeping the drought right out of Northern California. The U.S. Drought Monitor – a weekly map of drought conditions produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center – says that 40 percent of California is no longer experiencing drought, including all of Northern California. “The north is drought free and dry free so far this year,” said meteorologist David Miskus, a U.S. Drought Monitor author and member of the National Oceanic
“ The north is drought free and dry free so far this year … it’s a long time coming.
and Atmospheric Administration. After receiving up to 2 feet of precipitation last week in lower elevations and between 10 to 15 feet of snow in higher elevations, reservoirs and snowpacks in the northern part of the state are above normal levels and stream flows are running near record levels, according to Miskus. “It’s a long time coming,” he said. “Last winter, the northern portion saw close to normal amounts of snow and rain. Then, this winter, the water year has just been incredible for the west.”
The report comes about eight months after the state pulled the plug on mandatory conservation, instead letting water agencies selfcertify conservation requirements. Some water restrictions are still in place, such as only irrigating landscaping within 48 hours after measurable rainfall. News that the drought is unofficially over garnered mixed reactions from state and local officials. Ted Thomas, a spokesman for the California Department of Water Resources, said the state is
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Meteorologist David Miskus
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always monitoring drought conditions, and it’s likely going to take more than one year of good precipitation to erase the long-term, multiyear effects of the drought. Furthermore, he said not much credence could be given to the drought report. According to Thomas, the report is not the best, moment-bymoment reflection of actual conditions in California, because it’s based on short-term precipitation, mainly rainwater. Other flaws in the report include omission of California’s reliance on groundwater and the state’s massive plumbing system, which sometimes faces challenging restrictions. “There are occasions when we are restricted in the water we can export through the Delta to see Drought page 26
East Bay Dress Day provides new or gently used prom dresses to teen girls. Page 4
Lions Lap Up Another Win
The Lions (13-3) bounce Pittsburgh 59-34 for their ninth straight win. Page 17 Calendar................................27 Classifieds.............................22 Cop Logs................................25 Entertainment.......................9 Food..........................................8 Health & Beauty..................12 Milestones............................10 Opinion..................................16 Pets.........................................11 Sports.....................................17
John Muir Health
Hospice East Bay
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John Muir Health Foundation Gala raises $1.8 Million to support cardiovascular services.
Hospice East Bay receives $950,000 grant from Thomas J. Long Foundation.