Posts by NEWS24-680
Concord Couple Charged With Murder
Murder charges have been filed against a Concord couple accused of killing the female suspect’s husband on January 31, 2022. Ismael Alvarez, 34, and 44-year-old Francesca Charlene Lopez are currently being held at the Martinez Detention Facility for the murder of Felipe Dejesus Lopez in Concord. Alvarez was scheduled to be arraigned May 3 in…
Read MorePerson In Crisis Stacks Commute Traffic At 24/680 Split Wednesday
A distraught individual perched on a freeway stanchion at the critical 24/680 Junction for several hours Wednesday, prompting police to seal off the area and creating a massive traffic jam that stretched along the freeway for miles. Officers negotiated with the individual from a distance, starting from about 2 p.m. on until the unidentified man…
Read MoreLafayette Burglary – Moraga Pursuit Tuesday
Two apparently separate incidents kept Lamorinda police busy and affected residents on edge Tuesday, with burglars intent on plying their trade and residents intent on stopping them. The first incident kicked off shortly after 1 p.m. when a suspected car burglar sped away from officers and out Moraga Way, hitting at least one car in…
Read MoreTaking Our Pulse: Abortion Rights
A leaked Supreme Court draft decision indicating the court’s apparent readiness to throw out the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide has generated a storm of controversy and protest across the country. While the court confirmed that the text, published late Monday by Politico, was authentic, court spokespeople said it did not…
Read MoreHeavy Fire Burns Structure In Orinda Monday
Firefighters battled a structure fire in the area of Normandy and Ridge lanes late Monday night. Early reports were that all occupants of a home in the area are out and safe. Initial calls started to come in around 10:45 p.m. with first reports saying a hillside behind a home in the area was burning,…
Read More24/680 Residents Using Alarm Roosters To Protect Cars And Property
Local lensman Gint Federas was out and about in Lafayette Sunday, catching the tail-end of that adrenalin ride from Moraga to Lafayette, when he noticed the latest in semi-rural alarm technology, currently in use in an apparent effort to curtail neighborhood crime. Approach the car and the cocksure, feathered alarm system creates enough of a…
Read MoreMoraga Man Fights To Keep His Truck Sunday; Freeway Melee Ensues
A bold attempt to steal a truck from a Moraga household in broad daylight Sunday ended badly for at least one of the would-be thieves after his companion mistakenly ran him over during a freeway fistfight with the persistent, pursuing homeowner. The resident, whose name we’ve agreed to withhold in the interest of his family’s…
Read MoreSunday Percolator: Boutonnieres, Burglars, Bad Boys And Firebugs
Lovely weather for the weekend as we slide into post-prom Sunday morning, some local kids floating down to breakfast with stars in their eyes after a night out with classmates and romantic interests. If we squint real hard we can almost remember those nights ourselves. Hope you had as much fun as we did back…
Read MoreSuspicious Fires Light Up Martinez Saturday
A series of fires apparently set along southbound I680 at Pacheco Boulevard early Saturday brought firefighters on the run and left investigators looking for a cause. Several patches of roadside grass were reported burning at approximately 12:35 a.m = with an additional blaze in the area of Nardi Lane briefly sparking concern that the fires…
Read MoreConcord Man Sentenced In 2019 Hate Crime Case
From the Office of the District Attorney: Martinez, Calif. – Concord resident Ross Anthony Farca was sentenced today in a hate crime case the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office successfully prosecuted last year. On December 1, 2021, Farca was found guilty of four felonies and one misdemeanor hate crime, two counts of criminal threats against…
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