CONCORD

Apple Corp. has announced that $450 million of its Advanced Manufacturing Fund is supporting the critical infrastructure powering Emergency SOS via satellite, the groundbreaking safety capability for the iPhone 14 lineup. Available to customers in the United States and Canada in late November, the service will let users connect to emergency services when outside of cellular and Wi-Fi range.

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In Concord, employees with Cobham Satcom are designing and manufacturing the new high-powered antennas that will receive signals transmitted by the satellite constellation. These new antennas were installed in all Globalstar worldwide ground stations, including new ground stations in Nevada and Hawaii, as well as existing facilities in Texas, Alaska, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Several antennas at each ground station communicate with the satellites and relay the information provided by the user so they can get the help they need. In 2021, Apple announced an acceleration its U.S. investments, with plans to make new contributions of more than $430 billion over a five-year period. For more details, visit bayareane.ws/appleconcord online.

— Apple Corp.

City relaunches Shop Concord e-gift program for holidays

The city of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are relaunching the popular Shop Concord e-gift card program to support the city’s small businesses by encouraging residents to shop locally over the Thanksgiving weekend and into the winter holiday season.

Thanks to a $10,000 contribution from the city of Concord, shoppers will earn a bonus gift card with every purchase. While supplies last, receive a free $50 Shop Concord bonus card with every original $100 gift card purchase, a free $25 Shop Concord card with every $50 gift card purchase or a free $10 Shop Concord card with every $20 gift card purchase. Gift cards can be used for purchases at any participating business.

The e-gift cards can be purchased on the Shop Concord Yiftee page (app.yiftee.com/gift-card/concord), which includes a list of the more than 70 participating merchants. The cards purchased can be redeemed at any participating Concord business.

Concord business owners can sign up anytime for free to participate in the Shop Concord program. Instructions for how to become a participating merchant are online at concordfirst.com/shop-concord.

— city of Concord

BRENTWOOD

City charging usage, parking fees for EV charging stations

The city of Brentwood owns and operates nine electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the Brentwood City Hall parking garage, and these stations have operated without fees since 2012. Over the past several years, the combination of increased electric vehicle ownership along with rising energy rates has resulted in $40,000 in annual operating costs for the city.

In addition, the increased demand has made finding an available station difficult for drivers at many times during the day, and some vehicles often remain at stations well after their charging is complete. To reduce the city’s increasing costs, a usage fee of $0.25 per kilowatt hour has taken effect in November. After the first four hours at a station, a parking fee of $3 per hour will also be incurred.

The parking fee serves as an incentive for EV owners to move their vehicles after four hours of charging and provide access to the stations for more users. City staff will monitor the impacts this has on charging station availability and provide a report back to the City Council in early 2023.

— city of Brentwood

WALNUT CREEK

Library soon to host ‘Who Could Ask for Anything More?’

The Walnut Creek Library Foundation’s (WCLF) “Live! From the Library” series will host musician Dulais Rhys, Ph.D., and his latest interactive presentation, “Who Could Ask for Anything More?” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 13. Area singer Tim Lynch will join Rhys.

The famous songs of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Cole Porter, though beloved by Americans everywhere, are just a fraction of the Great American Songbook. Rhys will discuss the evolution of these timeless pieces; the lives, careers and tragedies of the composers and lyricists; and how these songs have inspired new generations of American performers and composers through the years, demonstrating that the best music never grows old.

Rhys is a professional musician with more than 30 years of experience in a variety of practical, educational and academic disciplines. He earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in music from the University of Wales, as well as teaching diplomas from the University of Wales and Trinity College of Music, London. Lynch, a San-Francisco-based singer and actor, most recently worked in the San Francisco Playhouse production of Steven Sondheim’s “Follies.”

Free and open to the public, this event will be held in the Walnut Creek Library’s Oak View Room. Reservations are required and can be made online at wclibrary.org/live or by phone at 925-935-5395.

— WCLF

ANTIOCH

Council OKs construction of Travis Credit Union branch

The Antioch City Council recently approved the Travis Credit Union project at 3500 Hillcrest Ave. The project scope includes the construction of a new 3,525-square-foot Travis Credit Union branch with a drive-up ATM and associated site improvements.

The improvements include constructing a new parking lot, site lighting, landscaping and stormwater detention basins. A total of 11 full-time employees will work there on a typical shift.

— Antioch city manager’s office

CONCORD

Spring registration open for kids’ baseball, softball league

Spring 2023 registration is open for the Junior Optimist Baseball/Softball League (JOBL), a nonprofit organization that has been around since 1963 and operates a family-friendly facility that hosts ball games for boys and girls ages 4 years old to 11 years old.

All games are played at the JOBL Complex. There are two games weekly, one on Saturdays and one during the week. The JOBL is on the corner of Laura Alice Way and Nelson Avenue in Concord. Register online for spring programs at JOBLconcord.com. For any questions, please contact Mark Northrup, the JOBL’s president, at [email protected].

— JOBL Concord

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