YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 18, No. 31
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Safety forum planned by Aly Brown Staff Writer
The ringing of school bells marks the end of summer, but in a sign of the times it also signals the beginning of school security fears for some students and their families. Here in East County, local school officials and first responders are hoping to quell some of that anxiety with an upcoming school safety symposium. On Aug. 9, in an event jointly hosted by the Brentwood Police Department, Liberty Union High School District (LUHSD) and Brentwood Union School District (BUSD) to promote safer campuses, participants will learn current pro-
New Year At Knightsen
Welcome back
N
ew principal Holly Rocha greets students on the first day of class at O’Hara Park Middle School, Thursday, July 26. School districts throughout East County welcomed students back to the classroom this week. For more photos, see page 16. To view more photos of the event, visit www.thepress.net/ multimedia/slideshows
Knightsen School District welcomes students back with new staff, programs. Page 4
Sgt. Lunger Remembered
Photo by Tony Kukulich
see Safety page 26
Dune restoration underway at Big Break by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
A wedge-shaped piece of ground in the Big Break Regional Shoreline is a remnant of a dune system that once stretched all the way to the Mojave Desert, and an effort is underway to restore the dune to its natural state. On Saturday, July 28, Brett Walsh, a Citizen Stewardship Project intern, led Dune Day at Big Break. Volunteers and park staff enjoyed a cool and breezy morning as they filled a large dumpster with invasive plants pulled by hand from the dune. The weeding was done in preparation for fall planting of native vegetation like evening primrose, datura, spike weed, California croton, lupin and buckwheat. “Once we finish getting all the weeds out this summer, we’re going to look to different sources for new seed and hopefully collect seed around the park and try to re-establish the dune with native seeds,” Walsh said. “At that point, we’d like to take care of the dune on a maintenance basis – pulling weeds out before they become a bigger problem again. That’s
Photo by Tony Kukulich
Misty Marsh, a vegetation intern at Big Break, helps clear the dune area at Big Break. The Dune Day event took place July 28 and was comprised of volunteers and park staff working to restore the habitat and encourage community stewardship. really where the community can come in and start to help with the project. The end goal for this is to create a space where we can have both
some habitat restoration and some community
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Friends and family of Sgt. Scott Lunger participate in memorial ruck run. Page 7
Swinging For Big Leagues
Heritage baseball player tries out for USA National Team Development Program. Page 17
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see Dune page 26
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District 3 is seeking local candidates to fill various board seats.
Calendar................................27 Classifieds.............................22 Cop Logs................................25 Education................................4 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Kid Scoop................................9 Milestones............................12 Pets...........................................8 Sports.....................................17
Free Bus Rides
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BART is repairing track over next few weeks, and AC Transit is offering free rides.