YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 18, No. 20
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Farmers market coming soon
What’s Good For The Goose
Going the distance
An injured gosling named Stumpie finds a safe haven, new home with local couple. Page 5
by Amy Schrader Correspondent
The arrival of warmer weather means local farms are preparing to harvest their bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables, which is perfect timing for the City of Oakley. A farmers market is planting its roots in downtown Oakley and will celebrate opening day Saturday, June 2, from 8 a.m. to noon, at 3231 Main St., by Oakley’s Civic Center Park. “The people of Oakley asked for a farmers market, and the Oakley Chamber of Commerce is excited to let the people and businesses of Oakley know the chamber is sponsoring the farmers market,” said Kim Sharon, Oakley Chamber see Market page 34
A Super Hero, Special Day
Photo by Tony Kukulich
F
reedom High School junior Maribel Sanchez rounds the first curve in the women’s varsity 400-meter race during the BVAL track-and-field championship finals at Pittsburg High School. To read the full story, see page 23.
Fire district may increase fees for medical aid “ In the time since the original ordinance was
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) Board may increase its fees for providing medical aid to offset growing labor and equipment costs. The yet-to-be-approved changes would alter the fee from $337 per incident to $289.07 for the first half-hour and $263.37 for each subsequent half-hour the district spends giving aid. The current fee is charged to most people receiving medical aid from district firefighters. “In the time since the original ordinance was adopted, the district has experienced increased
adopted, the district has experienced increased labor costs and gained greater insight into the cost of wear and tear on district equipment.
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Brian Helmick, ECCFPD fire chief labor costs and gained greater insight into the cost of wear and tear on district equipment,” said Fire Chief Brian Helmick, who noted that the current fee structure is falling short of expectations. The district initially budgeted $190,000 in projected revenues from the fee for the 2017-2018
fiscal year, but it has actually garnered less than $50,000, Helmick said. This lower-than-anticipated return can be attributed to several factors, including delayed implementation of the program and a smaller number of billings than was anticipated, Helmick said. The ECCFPD also doesn’t
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collect fees on calls handled by mutual or automatic aid resources. The district adopted the fee in February 2016 but has only been actively collecting for about 11 months, due in large part to a strenuous implementation process, Helmick said. “The process for implementing the fee collection was quite involved and required significant staff work and coordination with the district’s vendor for invoicing and collections,” Helmick said. Thus far, the proposed rate hike has been met with mixed reactions. Board member Steve Smith said he’s in favor of the see Aid page 34
Cannibis Tax
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Tax revenue from the cannabis industry totaled $60.9 million since January.
Lions Club welcomes specialneeds families at annual De Luna Ranch event. Page 10
Tracking BVAL Stars
East County track teams finish regular season in league championship. Page 23 Calendar................................35 Classifieds.............................29 Cop Logs................................33 Entertainment.....................10 Food........................................11 Kid Scoop ...............................9 Milestones............................13 Opinion..................................22 Pets...........................................8 Sports.....................................23
Par Avion
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Postal service marks 100th anniversary of air mail with new stamp.