Lafayette Metallurgist Charged In Berkeley Cadmium Poisoning Plot
A Lafayette man and Berkeley engineer has been charged with trying to kill a colleague by putting toxic cadmium into her food and water since 2017, according to court papers filed in support of his arrest. Berkeley police arrested David Xu, 34, of Lafayette on Thursday. He has been charged with premeditated attempted murder resulting…
“There Are Eight Million Stories In The 24/680…”
We’re not sure how many of you will remember this old television show. It was East Coast-centric but the central theme still holds: there are millions of people living in our Naked Cities (and suburban towns), almost all of them with a story to tell. We come into contact with a lot of them, naturally,…
Noise Issues Cropping Up In Danville, San Ramon, Mora… Well, Just About Everywhere In The 24/680. Citizens Unhappy.
Veteran readers know we have a thing about unnecessary noise. We try not to give voice to it much anymore because, well, things are quiet around the News Bunker and people don’t like a Squeaky Wheel squeaking about the same thing over and over again. We’ve just said local noise pollution is a problem, it…
The Sunday Subsidence
Nothing really changes, right? We stomp and flail and make loud sounds about conditions that concern/bother/scare us and demand that “something be done” and we pin our hopes on that elusive Hollywood ending that all things will be made right – only to have those hopes dashed on the rocks like a wayward fishing boat.…
Information Scarce On Apparent Street Robbery, Shooting In Walnut Creek Sunday
Little is known about what callers say was a violent street crime in downtown Walnut Creek Sunday night, a victim shot after two men demanded his watch near Union Bank on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Walnut Creek Police Lt. Tracy Reese said investigators are currently working through the crime, which occurred at around 9:50 p.m. Sunday…
Temporary Martinez Junior High School Faculty Member Arrested For Misdemeanor Battery Friday
Martinez police officers responded to the Martinez Junior High School for a report of a battery that occurred on campus around 11 a.m. Friday and, after an initial investigation, arrested a temporary faculty member at the school. Alex Aono, whose age was not given, was arrested for misdemeanor battery, according to police. A description of…
Car Burglar Strikes Outside Rheem Valley Starbucks Wednesday
Little Moraga (we can call it that because our founders live there) has escaped much of the now almost daily scourge of car burglars striking in parking lots up and down the 24/680 lately. Although some pilfered change and other items have been taken during drunken scavenger hunts in Moraga, the town’s positioning well away…
El Sobrante Man Killed In Sobrante Avenue Crash Sunday
California Highway Patrol officers were directed to the scene of a fatal crash near 5499 Sobrante Avenue in El Sobrante around 6:15 p.m. Sunday, finding an unresponsive 75-year-old local man inside the vehicle upon arrival. Officers determined that a green Jeep had been driven into an embankment and overturned. The driver was pronounced dead at…
Coroner Puts A Name To Skeletal Remains Found In Lafayette
On Monday, March 11, 2019, a hiker contacted Office of the Sheriff Dispatch to report finding human skeletal remains in a wooded/hillside area in south Lafayette. Police recovered the remains and they were given to the Coroner’s Division for identification. The remains were subsequently identified as 57-year-old Donald Booth of Lafayette. Booth was reporting missing…
Governor Suspends Use Of Death Penalty In California; Cites Moral Reasons And Support Of Citizenry
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his decision to suspend capital punishment in California Wednesday, saying the system has been a failure and granting a reprieve for the 737 people currently on Death Row. State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, praised Newsom’s decision and said she “deeply respected” the governor’s moral courage in making the decision. “Our criminal…