Power Lineup Unplugged By Power Failure In Concord Saturday
Nice crowd out at the Concord Pavilion tonight, waiting patiently for John Waite, Foreigner and Styx when – fffzzszzip – the power goes out. PG&E says 1,500 are afflicted out in that part of Concord-Clayton but we don’t know if they’re counting the concert goers – who were patiently returning to their cars for the…
Tales From Our Cities
Tip of the fedora to our fellow Urban Roamer Armistead Maupin and the characters he gave us from our former designated playground as we extend tradition and haunt the East Bay’s greasier alleyways and watering holes in search of stories. We’ve been busy dodging careering getaway cars, aerial mortars and flaming garbage trucks lately –…
The X-Files – BAAA-RT Goat; Canada Hates Us, Too; And Teenage Coochie Coochie Coo
All in all, a pleasant if somewhat strained week in the 24/680 with life playing out as expected for the most part – with a few exceptions: “O Canada, What’d We Do To You?” Our line of work has left us largely inured to casual expression of dissatisfaction or worse by people who don’t like…
Fire Cleanses Everything, Right?
Well, not really, as the debris pile left behind after a recent multi-alarm fire in Concord will attest. Fire brought down much of the multi-level structure at Sunset and East streets in Concord on April 29, firefighters quickly calling for a 2nd Alarm to help combat the flames. The building was reported ablaze at 10:23…
Market Sunday In Walnut Creek
After a day of initial shock and a week of enduring trauma as two respected members of the local Farmers Market community were treated for major injuries suffered in a hit-and run crash at the very same location last week – people returned to the Walnut Creek Farmers Market. The popular venue was back up…
Full Turtle In Walnut Creek Sunday
Crash reported at Tice Valley Boulevard and Rolling Hills Drive this morning really lit up our Flash Alert system. Our thanks to everyone who sent in pictures and loving morning messages until lensman Sean McDonough rolled up onscene. People fist-bumping Sean and referring to the crash as a “Turtle” and we’re beginning to think we’re…
Faces, Facts Emerge As Swatting, Organized Burglary Rings Cracked
We report them as they happen: a disembodied voice on the phone telling school officials gunmen are on the way to shoot students or plant explosives; a group of stealthy burglars in black who rush wealthy homeowners, disable their security systems and loot the home of items few people knew were there. Our stories cover…
“Ma’am, What’s The Midget Wearing?” – The X Files
Back in the day of battling dailies and copy boys and clickety-clacking wire machines the bleary-eyed Über Cognescenti of our Night Copy Desk kept an electronic archive of oddities and story scraps we reporter-types had delivered to them over the course of the day. The collection was known informally as “the Bondage File,” and was…
Hacienda Wedding March Too Long, Too Noisy – Moraga Neighbors Say
We didn’t have to be much of a soothsayer to see where this one was headed: take a picturesque local landmark, turn it into a wedding venue, add a generous mix of loudspeakers, amplified music, “enthusiastic” DJs and bridesmaids with their Chardonnay on and whaddaya get? If you said “lawsuit” – you win. Because, it…
Armed Robbery Rocks County Fair; $90k Loss Raising Questions
Workers carrying an estimated $90,000 in gate and parking receipts from the Contra Costa County Fair were reportedly confronted and robbed at gunpoint while attempting to make a bank deposit early Monday morning. The incident occurred after the fair ended its last day on Sunday and during an attempted deposit of receipts at the BMO…