I was catching up on my YouTubes and found some great videos from the demolition of the Cowell Smokestack. I saw some other pictures on Claycord back during the project but I was unaware we had videos also, so I wanted to share. It was a piece of Concord that many used as a landmark. Now it's gone but we have some great videos of it being torn down. Please excuse the language on the first vid.

Wow. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped a nasty, acrostic message in a letter he sent to California lawmakers. (via TechCrunch and SF Chronicle) This is a real-life, genuine letter from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the State Assembly, announcing his intention to veto a harmless bill that would've financed the Port of San Francisco. As you can see, it spells out "Fuck You." And why, exactly, would this completely uncontroversial bill that passed both houses without much fanfare elicit such an odd response from the governor? Because it was sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano. Not too long ago, Arnold showed up uninvited at a Democratic party event, and Assemblyman Ammiano politely requested that the governor "kiss my gay ass."

A friend on Facebook posted this and I was unaware we had a game up for the Wells Fargo Game of the Week. If you haven't done so already, head over to KTVU and vote for Ygnacio Valley vs. Clayton Valley. We are currently ahead but that can change fast. Lets get up to 5000 votes and get the schools some extra cash courtesy of Wells Fargo.

I didn't know that every neighborhood in Concord had their own newsletter. Well, maybe not every neighborhood does, but Dana Estates is special then. Oct. 28th there will be a General Meeting for the residence and a guest speaker Edi Birsan (He's a local blog reader and suppporter) will be talking about the history of radiological activities at the Concord Naval Weapons Station and if we have anything to worry about. If you live in Dana Estates, they are looking for some help in the form of a new webmaster for DANAESTATES.ORG. As you can see from the current site, it could use a good face-lift. Do other areas of Concord have committees like this? Also they are collecting donations for the Toys for Tots program. You can drop off the donation at the General Meeting or at Mitchell's Contra Costa Travel at 2227 Willow Pass Rd.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake. I remember exactly what was going on before the Bay Area quake. I was just a young lad in high school. The school day was done, I was sitting in my living room flipping between the World Series and Silver Spoons. Ya, you know that show with Ricky Schroder. At 5:04, the sound shook me before the ground did. It was like a train was rolling right next to the house then the next thing I knew I was on the ground, the ground was rolling under me and the lamp fell over. Measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, this was one of the most well documented earthquakes in history. If you live in the Bay Area, you should know basic earthquake safety. You should have enough supplies on hand to hold you over for a few days if all other resources are unavailable. The quake killed 63 people throughout northern California, injured 3,757 and left thousands homeless.

10:30 PM: Multiple Concord Police units are searching the neighborhood for a man in Dana Estates.White Male, short hair, black shirt or hoodie. He is suspected of shooting another man in the neck and running. Victim was taken to John Muir. 10:40 PM: Ok. Sounds like a gun was involved. They located the bullet shell. Strange, I live in the area and didn't hear anything. 10:50 PM: Suspect lives in the area of Granada and Wren Ave. CHP Helicopter helping the search. *witnesses to the shooting knew the suspect and told police approx. where suspect lives. 11:17 PM: Police are canvasing the entire neighborhood looking for this guy. He could be running or hiding in a yard somewhere. If you live in the area of Granada over towards Landana, make sure your doors are locked. 11:25 PM: CHP Chopper heading home. CPD units still on the ground looking for suspect. 11:30 PM Concord Police breaking the perimeter. I guess after an hour, it's time to move on. What I don't understand is that a man was shot in the neck, witnesses saw the direction of travel for the suspect and after an hr, the police just call it a night and move on. Isn't this a guy ...

Many of us already know about listening to Concord Police scanner conversations online. I was wondering what else could be found in the area and came across the Concord Buchanan Airfields radio traffic. The Buchanan Airfield scanner can be listened to a few different ways, either through a flash player online or even through applications like Windows Media Player. There are many other air traffic control stations to listen to all over the country listed on this site. Concord may not be the most exciting airport to listen to but you never know when an other low flying plane of Concord might show itself again.

I have had a Facebook profile for a few months. I have the link on the right sidebar but other than that I haven't said much about it. I feel like I live on Facebook. I communicate with most of my frinds and family from there. Well..that and Twitter. I set up the fan page for the Mayor of Concord to share local news with people on Facebook that may not have heard about this site. Why a fan page? Part of the reason was just to expand the reach of the site. I was only posting links to my blog then realized I could do even more than that and share other local stories from new sites and other local blogs. I think that doing this gives my 'fans' interesting stuff to read even if it's not on this blog. You can contribute. One of the best parts of having the fan page on Facebook is that anyone can add links, pictures or updates to the page.I have got many emails from people asking for a way to add more 'social' in my social media. This is a step in the right direction. If your organization is holding a fundraiser, post a link on ...

Rumors went flying around today about a student carrying a gun at Mt. Diablo High School. I got an email from a reader and then saw the story in the CoCo Times. The voluntary lockdown began at 2 p.m. at the school, at 2455 Grant Street, Concord police Cpl. Darryl Holcombe said. Two students had been fighting, and as other students found out about the fight, someone started a rumor that one of the participants had brought a gun to school. I, for one, was not surprised to hear this story. I am glad it turned out to be fake but I as many of my readers were not shocked when the news first came out. I went to Mt. Diablo many years ago and even then it was a tough school with daily fights and many that looked like full riots between gangs or different groups. The entire school isn't bad. I know this. I would like to say that a majority of students want to be there, graduate and do something with themselves. The other side of that coin is that there are students that are only there to pass the time, hang out with friends or even 'conduct business' on campus. It ...

Justin Joseph Clark, a graduate of Concord High School is MISSING and was last seen on July 9, 2009 in San Francisco at Royal Ground Coffee (1605 Polk Street). We do not know why or how he disappeared. After a thorough investigation of his personal, professional and financial life, we have NO CLUES. What we do know, is that he vanished leaving all of his worldly possessions, his relationships and his career behind. Our family and friends were in close communication prior to his disappearance (speaking and visiting with him at least 3 times a week). We felt that we had warm and rewarding relationships with Justin. Although he expressed to us that he felt anxiety in his personal and professional life and he may have benefited from a vacation, he had never previously travelled without communicating with us. http://www.findjustin.org/ He's the youngest of three boys. Until his disappearance, he worked as a community nurse in San Francisco. He's a very outgoing, communicative, and creative person. He is very adventurous and has traveled extensively around the US and abroad. One trip involved a bike ride from Santa Barbara,CA to Seattle, WA. He loves the creating art (drawing, painting, sculpting) ...

Jaycee Dugard the girl who was kidnapped by Phillip Garrido and held captive for 18 years, has given People Magazine the first look into the new life she is building. Now living in seclusion with her mom, Terry Probyn, 50, and the two daughters – Angel, 15, and Starlit, 11 – fathered by her alleged kidnapper, Phillip Garrido, Dugard, 29, has begun the slow process of recovery. She rides horses, cooks meals and is thinking of collaborating on a book. For the full interview, pick up this months issue of People Magazine.

It all started from a  burglary. 3 suspects were seen in Walnut Creek trying to break into a car and gave the Saturns plate that came back stolen. The CHP and Concord Police were chasing a Silver Saturn all around Concord up to speeds of 110 MPH. The suspects were getting on and off Highway 4 going the wrong direction. The Concord Police pulled back the chase when they felt there was too much danger. There was a helicopter in the air following the suspect car so there wasn't much of a chance that they could get away. I do worry about all of this chasing in residential areas though. I know the police train for this stuff but criminals don't. Driving 80-100 MPH through a residential area could have killed people. The police scanner was going crazy. The CPD was trying to set spike strips along the path but every time they tried, the car went around them. In the end the car went off the freeway, one suspect ran, two others in the car were arrested immediately. The third suspect was arrested soon after. Good work Concord Police and the CHP!

Early this morning a water main broke in the Dana Estates neighborhood. When the Contra Costa Water District came to fix it, they were met with another surprise. After digging up a part of the road where they thought the leak was coming from, they realized the leak was about 100 fee away in  someones front yard. The broken water pipe was wrapped in roots and next to a gas line. So all of the water for the neighborhood was shut off and everyone is at the mercy of PG&E to come. Approx 100 houses are without water, the estimated time to be turned back on is 8PM.

Jost poking around the local blogs and see that The Furgal Find has a new post about how to get $75.00 for free. Well, all you have to do is open a bank acct. and you get the free money. If you want to take 20 minutes out of a day and get some free cash, this is an easy way to do it. Basically it's a NEW member promotion, absolutely no cost and no strings attached.  No minimum balance, no keeping the account open for x days, etc.  100's of my local readers have already taken advantage of the deal and have their cash in hand the same day.  When I did it, it took me all of 20 minutes and I had an ATM to use that day! This is an INSANE promotion thanks to Pacific Credit Union.  If you open a Free Checking Account with eStatements and you are a NEW member you will AUTOMATICALLY get $50.00 in your account, like today, to spend right now.  I walked in this afternoon and 20 minutes later I walked out with temporary checks and an ATM card (no waiting 7-10 business days).  20 minutes and I had $50.00 in my ...

The New York Mets today announced that they acquired minor league outfielder Chris Carter from the Boston Red Sox. Carter was added to the Mets 40-Man roster which is now at 38. Carter, 26, hit .294 (126-428) with 50 runs scored, 25 doubles, 16 home runs and 61 RBI in 116 games with Pawtucket (AAA) of the International League this year. From July 1st through the end of the season on September 7th, Carter batted .333 (67-201) with nine home runs and 32 RBI. The 6-0, 230-pounder went 0-5 with the Red Sox in four games earlier this season in April. Carter batted .333 (6-18) with three RBI in nine games with Boston in 2008. He made his major league debut on June 5, 2008 vs. Tampa Bay at Fenway Park. He also hit .300 (141-470) with 25 doubles, 24 home runs and 81 RBI in 121 games with Pawtucket in 2008. Carter was acquired by the Red Sox on August 21, 2007 to complete the trade that sent outfielder Wily Mo Pena and cash considerations to Washington. Carter doubled home J.D. Drew in the fourth inning with the first run of the contest in the Mets first ever exhibition game at Citi Field ...