A liquor license is sort of like the holy grail for bars and resteraunts. I was always under the impression they were hard to get approval for with all of the local government forms and waiting for validation but I guess I was wrong. Turns out you can just buy a liquor license right off of craigslist if you have $25,000 dollars to spend. I couldn't find any reference online to what a [type 21] license was and maybe one of my readers could educate me. Is this legit? Can anyone really just buy a liquor license online?

Not only are your children attached to a price tag but the Pittsburg Unified School District is trying to make sure they can collect on them even though they were out of class. The students were not cutting class, they were out because Highlands Elementary had a few cases of swine flu and the school was closed. On top of that parents from other schools in the area kept their children out of additional schools because of the fear of contracting the H1N1 virus. At $109.50 per child per day, the total bill the Pittsburg Unified School District is trying to collect on is $28,221.46 for all students out of school during the swine flu outbreak in Contra Costa County. Should they be able to collect from the State? With the issues facing Arnold Schwarzenegger and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, I doubt any money is going to be changing hands. Maybe the MDUSD will get some type of credit but I doubt our schools are going to see the money.

The Contra Costa County Water District has a new post on their blog (yes they have a blog) offering coupons for mulch along with participating companies in the area that you can visit and pick up this water conscious landscaping topsoil. The Benefits of Mulch • Mulching is essential to the survival of your landscape during a drought. Mulch will reduce the amount of water that evaporates from your soil, greatly reducing your need to water your plants. • Mulch improves the quality of your soil by breaking up clay and allowing better water and air movement through the soil. Mulch provides nutrients to sandy soil and improves its ability to hold water. • Mulch acts as an insulating layer on top of soil, keeping it cooler in the summer. Roots like that! • Mulch keeps weeds down, and the weeds that do grow are much easier to pull. Gardeners like that!

The Supreme Court ruled today that the ban on same sex marriage in California will be upheld. demonstrations were already being held in San Francisco before and after the ruling was announced. Turns out the protests are not going to only located across the bay. Prop 8 protests are scheduled in Concord, Walnut Creek, Danville and other surrounding cities. I made a point back in November to say that the fight for Prop 8 was not going away anytime soon. Chief Justice Ronald George wrote that Proposition 8 "by no means makes such a far reaching change in the California Constitution as to amount  to a constitutional revision." George also wrote in the 136-page majority opinion that Proposition 8 concerns only access to the term "marriage" and does not affect  same-sex couples' right to form families in domestic partnerships. George wrote that gay and lesbian couples continue to have "a constitutional right to enter into an officially recognized and protected  family relationship with the person of one's choice and to raise children in  that family if the couple so chooses." The court majority said that any change in the state's constitutional definition of marriage "must find its expression at the ballot  box." Justice Carlos Moreno said ...

Memorial Day is to celebrate the sacrifice made by the people in uniform who gave their lives serving their Country. Not just another 3 day weekend for the family to BBQ and go swimming. Being a veteran I appreciate these types of holidays a lot more than I did when I was younger. Knowing people who died and passing countless formations of troops paying their respects to a helmet on top of a rifle with dog tags and a pair of boots makes Memorial Day a bitter sweet holiday. To all of the vets and the people still serving, your sacrifices are appreciated and I want to wish you a happy Memorial Day! Antioch Memorial Day Ceremony — 10 a.m. May 25. There will be a ceremony honoring fallen servicemen and women, and a flyover by historic aircraft. Oak View Memorial Park Cemetery, 2500 E. 18th St. Brentwood Memorial Day Ceremony — 10 a.m. May 25. Union Cemetery, 11545 Brentwood Blvd. Brentwood Memorial Day Event — 1 p.m. May 25. War veterans and their families will gather at the flags in Veterans Park featuring speakers and music to honor all soldiers and their families. The celebration will conclude with a closing prayer and ...

The governor met with members of the Department of Veterans Affairs and State National Guard leaders to announce the "Network of Care for Veterans" website. The site covers social services, medical services, education and employment opportunities in the veterans' local communities. Governor Schwarzenegger says our veterans need help. Veterans can get employment, mental health and other support resources right from the site. The website is available for California veterans, active military personnel, and their families if they need it.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Contra Costa County are gearing up for saturation patrols and a series of DUI checkpoints for the coming Memorial Day Weekend, the sheriff’s office announced. Checkpoints will be conducted starting today in El Cerrito from 7 p.m.—3 a.m. at an undisclosed location. This checkpoint will involve multiple agencies, including police from San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules and Richmond, along with the sheriff’s office. On Saturday, during the same set of hours, Concord police will host a checkpoint on Concord Boulevard, and Pittsburg police will conduct roving anti-DUI patrols in that city. Pittsburg police will also perform roving patrols on Sunday from 6 p.m.—2 a.m. Over the course of the entire holiday weekend, the Highway Patrol will have 80 percent of its officers conducting DUI enforcement on freeways and unincorporated areas, and police throughout the county will be on heightened alert for potential drunk drivers. Be safe this weekend. Don't be the guy I write about on Monday that died on Hwy 4 from an alcohol related accident. And another funny one.

Do you know who Jack Passion is? Until today I didn't know Jack or the fact there was an official contest for the "Best Beard".either. Jack is the ranking "full beard" title holder of the World Beard and Moustache Championships. His website says he lives in the Bay Area but there was an article written by the Los Angeles Times with him sitting in a chair in our neighbor Walnut Creek. Every two years, the owners of the world's most elaborate facial hair come together for the World Beard and Moustache Championships. On May 23, 2009, the championships will return to the United States for the second time in their history, as the City of Anchorage, Alaska plays host to the world's bearded and moustached elite. Best of all, everyone is invited to join the fun! Tickets are now on sale in three categories: General Admission, $20; VIP seating (sit with the contestants), $40; Special family pass (admits two adults and two children), $50. The entry fee for contestants is $40. The championships feature competition in a variety of categories that include everything from the delicate Dali moustache to the outrageous full beard freestyle. The competitors appear ...

There are only a handful of events that Concord puts on that I really enjoy. One of them is the upcoming KidFest. This entire event is for the kids and when I was a little Mayor my father would take me here to run wild. Bay Area KidFest, is a fun and educational event for children and their families. KidFest is held annually in Todos Santos Plaza, downtown Concord, California on Memorial Day Weekend.The event both entertains and educates through hands-on exhibits, a wide variety of entertainment (music, dance, animals) and educational activities including: Arts & Sciences, Environmental Awareness, Health & Safety, Sports & Adventure and Citizenship & Community. KidFest was created to offer quality live entertainment for children; stimulate learning and exploration; expose parents to new ideas and opportunities; showcase community groups dedicated to families and children; celebrate the value and importance of families as a key part of a healthy community. Hours 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM No Entry after 5:00 PM Admission is only $5 per person. Babies under 24 months and Seniors 65+ are FREE. I haven't been to a KidFest in years. Are they still as fun as I remember?

With the defeat of Measure D and other tax increasing measures meant to stimulate our schools, what happens next? The easy answer is that our kids will suffer by having class sizes increase, programs cut and a general deemphasis on education. That's what I think. The people have spoken and though I wish we had found a way to bring more money into the MDUSD, it was not meant to be. It's always the easy answer to raise taxes to increase service levels but like so many people wondered, when are there too many taxes? When will the Government start learning to spend less or make the budgets work? I was watching the local news the other night and a lady being interviewed said it best. "If Californians ran their finances the way the Govt does then we would all be bankrupt." Should we blame the people in Contra Costa County for not voting in favor of Measure D to protect the schools? I don't think so. I wish more people would have taken the time to go to the polls and actually vote though. The voter turn out was just short of 29%. That shows that the passion was not there ...

Mark Desaulner is hosting a meeting in Walnut Creek Ca. tonight to get to know more of the community. Mark Desaulner is running for Congress and is drumming up support by hanging out at Rocco's Pizza and talking to people. Tonight from 5PM-7PM at 2909 Ygnacio Valley Road Walnut Creek, CA 94598 you can eat some pizza and talk to Mark about the issues. I would think Mark is a shoe in for the position since the Mayors from Pleasant Hill, Concord and Antioch are supporting him.

Call center fraud in Concord? Sounds like a stretch of the imagination. It's true. A call center was set up in the offices around Todo Santos Plaza called "Access USA". CBS5 Investigates did a nice job tracking down the scum that run this operation. Yes I say scum because if they even for a minute believed they were in the right, they wouldn't have run like scared children. Robodialers have been made illegal in many states. A Chicago federal judge recently barred robocalls just like these. I for one hate these calls. I can't say how many times I ask to get removed, just to get another call in a month or two. Kudos to the ex-employee that got on camera and explained more about the operation. Now if US Fidelus would stop calling me I would be happy.

Because of the media named Craigslist killer in Massachusetts who is suspected of killing a few women he met using the popular classified website Craigslist, the company has been forced to make some changes. Its about time I think. The problems of Craigslist and their obvious ads for prostitutes is nothing new. I wrote about Hookers on Craigslist a few months ago focusing on the listings just for Concord Ca. I heard about the changes Craigslist was making earlier in the week. Its about time. I mean, I understand that Craigslist isn't directly responsible but they should have known this day was coming. There have been so many stories about people getting robbed and defrauded from Craigslist ads that it's really a shame someone had to die in order for them to make this decision. In states like Nevada where prostitution is legal they could keep listing the offers but the company should adhere to the laws of each state. As of May 12 no more listings were being added to the Craiglist Erotic Services section. But the newly added Adult Services section doesn't look much different. Instead of the blatant hookers, they are now just refering to themselves as massage therapists. They might ...

I had just updated Twitter with the traffic mess on Treat and Clayton Rd from the stop lights flashing red then as I drove past Safeway and the Mormon temple, I saw traffic backed up again. I have no idea what happened but I saw a boy probably about 15-17 with a couple girls on the sidewalk. On  the corner of Dekinger and Wilson at the stop sign.The guy was bleeding from his face and it was a lot of blood. His pants were down covered in blood and his shirt was covered as well. He was staggering around trying to stay up. I thought it was a car accident at first but there were no vehicles wrecked. I pulled over for a minute so I could call the Concord police and there were other people getting out of their cars on cell phones walking to the boy. I called the CPD who transferred me to dispatch. The person who answered asked  me if I had an emergency. I guess I took too long to answer because he put me on hold for 3 minutes. I hung up. I figured of all the commuters driving down Dekinger looking at this poor ...

Today teachers and supporters hit the streets to raise awareness and support for Measure D. These pictures were taken at Treat Blvd and Clayton Rd. I know Radar and a couple others are going to take pictures from other locations so watch the other local sites for those pictures. Nice to see so many people taking the time out of their evening to raise awareness for Measure D.