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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 9, No. 36
CSD director may face charges by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer CSD Vice President Brian Dawson said he is considering resigning from the community town board in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of spousal abuse. The Discovery Bay resident, who is facing possible felony charges, was booked into the Martinez County Jail on Aug. 27 and released on $20,000 bail. Dawson, 31, was taken into custody at 4:45 p.m. by county sheriff’s deputies following a phone call to the Sheriff’s Office reporting a domestic dispute in the 2000 block of Sand Point Road. According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived on the scene and found that a telephone had been pulled from the wall and that a physical altercation had oc-
DAWSON curred between Dawson and his wife Jessica. She sustained some bruising but did not require hospitalization. Dawson, who has a history of bipolar disorder, didn’t deny
the charges but said that a perfect storm of factors – including being off his medication because he couldn’t afford the prescription – contributed to the incident. “I in no way want to give the illusion that my bipolar disease is the reason for what happened; I believe people need to be held accountable for their actions,” said Dawson. “I don’t want to talk about it as an excuse, I just want people to understand it.” Bipolar disorder is a chemical brain condition that creates elevated mood swings. The illness can be controlled with medication, but according to Dawson, maintaining an even keel is often a difficult if not impossible task. “It can be treated only with medication,” said Dawson. “And without some kind of mood stabilizer, there is no way you can
train your brain chemistry. I’ve been through counseling, I take a mood stabilizer – but it’s not an exact science.” Dawson was appointed to an open seat on the CSD Board in 2009 and elected to a four-year term in 2010. CSD President Kevin Graves reacted to the news of Dawson’s arrest with sympathy and support. “This is a situation that director Dawson needs to take care of personally and privately,” said Graves. “I don’t know all the details of what happened to cause these events, but I hope he’s able to work out whatever issues he may have.” As to whether or not he will retain his seat on the CSD Board, General Manager Rick Howard see Charges page 19A
Local school districts see API gains by Samie Hartley and Justin Lafferty Staff Writers
When the Academic Performance Index (API) scores were released earlier this month, local superintendents had reason to smile: four of six districts showed improvement – some dramatic – while the other two slipped only a single point. Byron Union School District made the biggest gain from 2010 to 2011, increasing its API score by 30 points, jumping from 797 to 827. Byron Superintendent Ken Jacopetti credited the staff for the tremendous gain. “As a district, that was phenomenal,” he said. “It was a real focused effort through the principals at each of the sites and working with our at-risk population and making sure students were achieving toward standards.”
API Scores 843 840 +3
850
848
800 750
764 +19
731 732 -1
779
847 -1
790 +11
827 +30 797
745
700 650 600 2010
Antioch Unified School District
2011
Brentwood Union School District
Liberty High School District
Oakley Union School District
Knightsen School District
Byron Union School District
John Carter/Press Graphic
The teachers and administrators of the 1,268-student district are being asked to do more with less in these lean economic times, said Jacopetti, and they’ve delivered. The superintendent also gave thanks for the board of supervisors’ support. “We know we have a lot less
resources, but still the agenda there is for us to tackle student achievement,” Jacopetti said. “Bottom line: this staff really worked hard.” Excelsior Middle School experienced the district’s biggest gain: 36 points. Timber Point Elementary improved by 34 API points and Discovery Bay Elementary by 19.
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Operation Homefront marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The Liberty Union High School District API score increased to 764, up 19 points from last year. All three comprehensive high schools saw gains, but Superintendent Eric Volta is particularly proud of Heritage High, which increased 24 points to hit the score of 800, the state’s target score that signifies academic excellence. Volta said he’s proud of his teachers and staff for working together to improve teaching methods to help students learn, but there’s always room for improvement, and the district will continue to strive for greater achievement in next year’s scores. The district’s continuation high school, La Paloma, saw a dip of 45 points, but Volta isn’t overly concerned by the decrease. “Continuation schools are populated with students who struggle with learnsee API page 19A
Double trouble
go to news/press releases Vasco Road motorists heavy on the pedal will get a lot lighter in the wallet.
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September 9, 2011
Esteeming the Green
Discover what local individuals, communities and businesses are doing to help leave a smaller carbon footprint. Page 1B
Fateful day not forgotten East County communities will be holding numerous observances of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Page 3A
Crucible of competition
Our BVAL girls volleyball preview spotlights players and coaches who get their thrills from digs and kills. Page 24A Calendar ............................ 23B Classifieds ......................... 18B Cop Logs ............................21A Entertainment ................. 14B Food .................................... 12B Health & Beauty .............. 10B Milestones ........................ 15B Opinion ..............................20A Sports .................................23A Think Green ........................ 1B FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Reel good time go to multimedia/videos
Kids got hooked on the pursuit of floppy creatures at the Oakley Fishing Derby.