FROM YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 18, No. 52
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Corn Country cheers state champs by Kyle Szymanski
December 28, 2018
Principals Honored
Staff Writer
Liberty High School head football coach Ryan Partridge likes to say that Corn Country travels well. The community lived up to that description last week, packing City Park to honor the first-ever state-championshipwinning Liberty High School football team. The faint sounds of a few side conversations grew to a crowd-wide roar as the Lions’ players came into view, with the school’s band and cheerleaders following behind. “Corn Country, it feels good to be a state champion,” said Partridge early on in the nearly half-hour celebration. One by one, Liberty’s 64 players streamed across the stage, each pausing to soak in a moment of their historic achievement. But it was what the players did as a team that will go down
T-shirts with the slogan “Corn Country Travels Well” were part of the recent celebration in downtown Brentwood during a congratulatory rally for the Liberty Lions’ historic state football win.
Staff Writer
A store in Antioch celebrated its grand opening in the weeks before Christmas, but it was also set to become the stage for a public discussion on aiding homeless veterans in Contra Costa County. City officials, decorated veterans such as Dr. Doris I “Lucki” Allen, and those who launched New To You Vets Resale Store Inc. from idea to reality gathered on Dec. 12 to cut the ribbon. Dr. Louis Langston, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran with a doctorate in humanities and the man behind New To You’s creation, presented Antioch Mayor Sean Wright with an initiative: the store’s mission statement centered around providing services and permanent housing for
in city lore. The 2018 Lions defeated Sierra Canyon 19-17 on Dec. 15 to become the first football team in the school’s 116-year history to capture a state title. “Coach Partridge and his fellas have set an even higher bar for all of our student organiza-
tions to strive for,” said Eric Volta, superintendent of the Liberty Union High School District. The team that gifted the community with a win unlike any other will not soon forget their momentous 2018 campaign. Vice Mayor Joel Bryant an-
“ The concept of this store evolved because initially I had designed to have a space for veterans to come and have a space to share their stories.
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Dr. Louis Langston homeless veterans. Langston noted the city had a program in place intended to provide relief for veterans in emergencies but said his initiative digs deeper into the many issues facing those who serve – one largely being homelessness. “We’re happy with the concept of what the mayor has, but we’re wanting to initiate permanent housing,” Langston explained, noting he hopes to discuss ways to weave local efforts together for the cause on a
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larger scale. As of press time, Langston said Wright had committed to attending a public discussion at New To You this month to expand on the current programs and further ways to help veterans. Prior to the store’s opening, Langston initially sought a location to gather with fellow veterans who needed community, along with the therapy of discussing their experiences.
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nounced during the ceremony, to thunderous applause, that the squad will receive state-championship rings, paid for by prominent local residents Jim Wangeman and Andy Dreifort. The physical reminders will see Champs page 26
Veterans store offers more than resale by Aly Brown
Brentwood Union School District administrators recognized by state association. Page 5
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“The concept of this store evolved because initially I had designed to have a space for veterans to come and have a space to share their stories,” said Langston. “Believe it or not a lot of our families don’t even know about our experiences because we don’t want to burden them with that … coming back from Vietnam, it was a very sad day for us (vets); a lot of the time, people didn’t want to discuss it, and many years ago, people didn’t even want to listen (to our stories). We had to slip in and slide, and now veterans need a place to come in and share our experiences to help relieve some of our anxieties.” Knowing he would need to obtain funding to keep such a gathering center open, Langston pursued the see Veterans page 26
Super Salaries
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Board of supervisors creates an ad hoc committee to review the board’s compensation.
Check out The Press newspaper’s most popular online stories for 2018. Page 10
Heritage For The Win
Heritage boys’ varsity team wins the prestigious Lou Bronzan Invitational. Page 17 Calendar................................27 Classifieds.............................21 Cop Logs................................25 Education................................5 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Milestones............................12 Pets...........................................9 Sports.....................................17
Fire Safety
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PG&E announces enhanced wildfire prevention and safety efforts.