Comedy at the Village Theatre

Danville's Village Theatre and Art Gallery is set to host a comedy night at the end of the week, in what organizers are calling an opportunity for early Valentine's Day celebrations.

The event will feature headliner Chicago Steve Barkley, with host Roman Guzman also welcoming a second comedian, Mike Betancourt, to the stage.

The event is scheduled from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 27).

More information and tickets are available here.

Tobacco Control Leader award

The Contra Costa Tobacco Prevention Coalition (TPC) has named Emily Justice as the recipient of their Tobacco Control Leader of the Year award for her work expanding the reach of tobacco prevention and cessation programs to young people in her role at the county's office of education.

Justice is the manager of Contra Costa County Office of Education's Tobacco Use Prevention and Education (TUPE) program, which offers a range of outreach efforts in county schools aimed at educating students about the dangers of tobacco use and providing resources to educators with the same goal.

"I am extremely proud of the outreach and education Emily Justice and the TUPE team have accomplished," Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey said. "Tobacco use and vaping, are real problems in this country and the work being done daily to stop children from getting hooked is vital. The team's dedication, community partnerships, and focus on relationship building has been a recipe for success in helping to reduce nicotine addiction among the youth in Contra Costa County."

The TPC, which focuses on outreach efforts for all residents in the county, has long partnered with the education office's TUPE, since the former's inception in 1984.

New leaders for Contra Costa Dems

The Contra Costa Democratic Party has announced that their current leader will be staying in her position through this year, with chair Katie Ricklefs having won an election to another term as part of the group's annual organizational meeting on Jan. 19.

"I appreciate the opportunity to continue my work as the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County's chair," said Ricklefs. "Our success would not have been possible without a huge amount of teamwork and collaboration. I look forward to working with our members, volunteers, and elected officials to advance our shared agenda. We have a great deal of work ahead of us, and I hope more Democrats will volunteer, consider joining one or more of our committees, and help us continue moving forward."

Vice chairs Susana Williams and Joey Smith were also re-elected to their positions for the current year. Floy Andrews, who ran an unsuccessful campaign against County Assessor Gus Kramer in June, was elected to her first term as controller for the party, with Craig Cheslog being elected to a first term in the secretary's seat.