I was over at Broakley's site and read that there is a new Contra Costa County Sheriff and Fire Scanner Online. The online scanner is hosted at Scan America and covers Contra Costa County Fire East, Central, and West dispatch channels in the left channel and Contra Costa County Fire tactical channels, Antioch/Brentwood Police, and East Contra Costa County Sheriff in the right channel. The channels that are being scanned are as followed: Left Channel Con Fire East Con Fire Central Con Fire West (weak reception) San Ramon Valley Fire (south) Right Channel ConTac A * ConTac B * Valley Fire Ch. 22 White 1 * White 2 * White 3 * CALCORD * Antioch/Brentwood Police Ch. 1 Antioch/Brentwood Police Ch. 2 Antioch/Brentwood Police Ch. 3 *

The historical marker database website recently ran an article on the train stop in Clyde. They alsohave some interesting information about other local monuments. What I found most interesting about this marker in Clyde that is wouldn't even be there if it weren't for the great work of some local Boy Scout.

Bars in Concord are becoming a dangerous place to hang out. Go for a beer with a few friends and get stabbed instead. This comes from the CoCo Times. As usual, drinking and women contributed to the violence. CONCORD — A man was arrested after he got into a fight with a fellow bar patron over a woman and stabbed him, and then stabbed a security guard who tried to subdue him, police said. An argument broke out about 1:10 a.m. between a man and another patron of the Time Out sports bar in the 1800 block of Grant Street, said Lt. Brian Wiesendanger. The two men, arguing over a female bar patron, took their argument outside to the parking lot. At some point during the argument, one patron, a 38-year-old Pittsburg man, punched the other in the face, Wiesendanger said. This prompted the punched man to pull out a knife and stab the man in the neck.

I saw this interesting story over at the Contra Costa Times. Though the article is about "Good Neighbors" at the bottom of the article it explains the roles and support of the concord Police volunteers. One of the largest groups of volunteers in the Central County is the Concord Police Department's Volunteers in Police Service (V.I.P.S.). The V.I.P.S. are like a liaison between the police and the community, working to make Concord a safer place to live and raise families. "We celebrated having given 15,020 hours in 2008," said Pat Rishell, V.I.P.S. member and publicity coordinator. Margaret Romiti, manager of volunteer services, added that the number of hours of service in 2008 amounted to a value of $305,797 to the city. Especially in this economy, the department would be hard-pressed to cover each and every request with a uniformed officer, and that is where the V.I.P.S. come in. The volunteers are involved with such things as the Neighborhood Patrol Program and vacation check; the Neighborhood Watch Program, giving tours of the Concord Police headquarters on Galindo Street; and administrative duties at the department. In addition to Romiti, the volunteers attending the annual potluck included Connie Ames, Pat Bennett, Stephanie Boggs, Lorry Brady, Dick Brown, Jay ...

Saturday was the most tragic day in Oakland Police history. What appeared to be a routine traffic stop kicked off a killing spree leaving four police officers dead, a killer stopped and a community lost. The Oakland Police officers were from Concord, Danville and out to Tracy, the shockwave of these events went much further than Oakland. Then I read this news report in the CoCo Times that gives a different spin on the man who ended the lives of four police officers. Cop shooter was frustrated with parole system, was person of interest in 2007 homicide His parole officer stood-him up when they had planned a meeting, family members said. He couldn't find a job. He was depressed. "He wasn't being treated right and wanted to get rehabilitated and find a job,'' said Mixon's uncle Curtis Mixon. Just three months after being released from prison, Mixon was on his way back, deciding in February to skip a meeting with his parole officer immediately resulting in a no-bail warrant for his arrest. Mixon was ready to go back to prison, his grandmother Mary Mixon said, if only to get a new parole officer upon his release. But when he was stopped Saturday afternoon by two Oakland Police ...

In the most horrific day in Oakland Police Department history, a parolee shot four police sergeants within two hours of one another Saturday afternoon. ABC7 News From the Associated Press

A California Lottery Fantasy 5 ticket sold in Concord has made one lucky player $114,647 richer. The ticket matched all five numbers in last night’s draw. The ticket was purchased at the Pic N Pac #3 at 1700 B Willow Pass R. The numbers on the ticket are 37, 30, 2, 21 and 8. No word yet who the lucky Concord winner is.

OAKLAND — Four Oakland, Calif., police officers were shot to death in two separate incidents involving one suspect near the Eastmont police substation Saturday afternoon after a man pulled over for a routine traffic stop opened fire, police said. The man, a 27-year-old Oakland resident, was later fatally shot in a gun battle with SWAT officers in a nearby apartment complex where he hid. Authorities discovered the alleged gunman, 27-year-old LaVelle Mixon, had an extensive criminal history. At the time of the shooting, he was in violation of parole for assault with a deadly weapon, police said. The veteran officers killed were sergeants: Mark Dunakin, 40, of Tracy, a traffic officer with the department since 1991; Erv Romans, 43, of Danville, a 13-year veteran with the force; and Dan Sakai, 35, a nine-year veteran, police said. Romans and Sakai were SWAT team members. This was the first time any sergeant in the department had been slain. Officer John Hege, 41, of Concord, was on life support and later died at Highland Hospital. A fifth officer who was not identified was grazed by a bullet. He was treated and released from the hospital. - Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these brave men. Update: Oakland, ...

PLEASANT HILL -- Some 300 to 400 College Park High students walked out of school today, protesting recent Mt. Diablo school district budget cuts including athletics, librarians, vice principals and fourth grade music for next year. They also voiced support for Measure D, a district wide May 19 parcel tax. - CoCo Times It was only a matter of time before a video of the mob scene was put online. Here it is. Thank you Dave for the heads up on the link.

The economic times are hurting everyone and even our local Post Offices are going to be closed. U.S. Postal Service announced that it plans to close some offices, Offer 150,000 early retirement packages. Additionally, administrative staff positions at the district level nationwide are being reduced by 15 percent. More than 1,400 mail processing supervisor and management positions at nearly 400 facilities around the country also are being eliminated and nearly 150,000 employees nationwide are being given the opportunity to take an early retirement. In the past year the Postal Service has taken very aggressive cost-cutting actions, including: Cutting 50 million workhours; Halting construction of new postal facilities; Negotiating an agreement with the National Association of Letter Carriers that adjusts letter carrier routes to reflect diminished volume; Freezing salaries of all Postal Service officers and executives; Instituting a nationwide hiring freeze; Reducing authorized staffing levels at postal headquarters and area offices by at least 15 percent; Selling unused and under-utilized postal facilities; Adjusting Post Office hours to better reflect customer use; and, Consolidating mail processing operations. The Postal Service is streamlining operations and improving efficiencies across the board in order to protect its ability to provide affordable, universal mail service. By modifying networks, consolidating functions and restructuring administrative and processing operations, the Postal ...

A prominent Contra Costa County Democrat has decided not to run to succeed Rep. Ellen Tauscher if she's confirmed to a high-ranking State Department post, instead throwing his support to a peer. Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, said Thursday he will continue his 2010 campaign to be state Superintendent of Public Instruction, and will support state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, to succeed Tauscher, D-Alamo, in the 10th Congressional District. Tauscher has served the East Bay well in the House since her 1996 election, and DeSaulnier "is the best person to continue her tradition of strong and effective leadership in Congress," Torlakson said. "He has the experience, intelligence and character necessary to represent the residents of the district. I am pleased to endorse him and offer my full support for his upcoming campaign." DeSaulnier said Thursday he feels "really good" about this endorsement from "a dear friend," and has discussed his possible candidacy with Tauscher. - Mercury News

Esteban Nunez the 19-year-old son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has been arrested along with three others in connection with the October stabbing death of Luis Santos a 22-year-old college student from Concord. Esteban Nunez MySpace profile had many pictures of him and his gang was spread around the internet as the news broke. Esteban Núñez, along with Ryan Jett, Leshanor Thomas and Rafael Garcia, all 19, were taken into custody with the assistance of Elk Grove Police Department officers and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies, according to a press release from the San Diego Police Department. Esteban Nunez was freed on $1 million bail in December. The four murder suspects are scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m.

Let me just say I am glad we don't have "religious groups" like this in Concord. Sure we have our fair share of "religious groups" but none yet that are trying to build a fortress of solitude that looks like several scoops of ice cream. Walnut Creek's neighbor Saranap holds a 500 member group that calls themselves Sufism Reoriented. I had never heard of this group before Crazy in Suburbia covered the story on her blog. I'm glad she did. With all the drama going on in the area, we all needed something like this to take our minds off of bank robberies and people stealing garbage. Religious faction groups like this seem to be popping up all over the place. I know nothing about this group and I would like to believe that they are all peaceful and caring people. I won't begin to understand how anyone with a degree in medicine practicing psychology moves into the religious cult business but who am I to judge. I'm not going to to walk on anyone's beliefs but I think the building they are trying to erect is up for debate. Chances are this group will get their way. They have a small following ...

A local blog called Myrtle Drive has had it's fair share of issues lately. From burglaries, car break ins and even mail theft, crooks seem to like this stretch of road. Most recently there have been reports that people have been rooting through the peoples garbage and possibly stealing stuff. In 1988 the US Supreme Court ruled that trash-picking is legal. But even before that, there are centuries-old precedent laws going back to Jolly Old England that establish as a veritable "right" for scavengers to obtain & keep or sell anything they find in the trash. There are laws protecting people's garbage. But they are loose laws at best. The laws are wrapped around criminal intent to use the stolen good for other crimes like ID theft. There is no crime against digging through someones garbage and taking something that someone has no more use for. Once the trash hits the street, it can be looked through by the public. It's no longer your personal stuff. Sure, it's weird to go through a garbage can and most epople wouldn't do it but it's not illegal. Stealing recyclables is against the law. This came about several years ago when the city started a recycling ...

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. All of that good history and we still head over to Crogans, Ed's Mudville Grill, or EJ Phair for a green beer every year. Have a great St. Patrick's Day Concord and drive safe!