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.

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 ...

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.

Just over two weeks since Jaycee Dugard was found alive in Antioch, the stories of new attempts to kidnap children in the area have parents on edge. The news about the kids being accosted and lured into a car in Pleasant Hill should make people a little scared. Anything this alarming even for non-parents makes a community take notice of strangers around them in ways they never would have. Most recently there was a man seen videotaping near Monte Gardens Elementary School several times that made parents in the area scared. No crime was committed but with the heightened awareness and news spreading across other local blogs that there was a man near a school with a camera, people acted. Thankfully Concord residents are more civilized than others and when the man was once again seen near the school, a mob wasn't assembled. Turns out this 72 year old man that caused such alarm in our community was in fact just a visitor and was videotaping the area and his granddaughter. Imaging the shock on this man's face when he was walking around Dana Estates and was confronted by Concord Police. So this is what I'm wondering, has all the news about Jaycee ...

The story of the kidnapping and identification of Jaycee Dugard after 18 years keeps getting more disgusting. New sources are coming out about the final moments before police identified her. Lt. Les Lovell of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department made a statement to the press. It turns out our own Concord Police Dept. a Berkley security guard made the break in the case. Concord police officers first encountered Dugard at a nearby house on Wednesday while they were conducting a separate investigation, Lovell said. Police began to question the woman and something didn't add up, he said. "Based on really good police work, the Concord police smelled a rat," Lovell said. Police continued to press the woman, and she eventually revealed her name was Jaycee Dugard. Officers asked her to come to the Police Department for further investigation and Dugard cooperated, Lovell said. Police are awaiting the results of a DNA test to confirm Dugard's identity, he said. Dugard's mother, Terry Probyn, has been in contact with her daughter, Lovell said. "They have discussed things that only the two of them would know," Lovell said. "We are about 99% sure the woman is her." Lovell was one of he original investigators assigned to the Dugard ...

In 1991 Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped in Lake Tahoe. After 18 years missing, a woman claiming to be Jaycee Lee Dugard walked into the Antioch Police Dept and identified herself as the missing child. The Antioch police moved the woman to the Concord Police Dept to talk with local FBI agents and they called Jaycee Lee Dugard's parents. During that conversation, FBI agents told the parents that they “had Jaycee and the people responsible,” according to her husband. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department is planning a Thursday morning press conference to discuss the case. There are several similarities to another high-profile case, the abduction of Elizabeth Smart in Utah. I wonder how close to the missing persons poster Jaycee Lee Dugard will look? When ever I hear about a missing child and days or weeks go by without any news or sightings, I start thinking the worst. If this is Jaycee Lee Dugard then it will really be a miracle for this family that was holding out hope for so long.

Look at these pictures of the old Concord Police dept. Looks like these pictures were taken in front of the old Police HQ on Parkside Dr. I'm assuming these pictures must be from the 60's or 70's based on the patrol cars. Does anyone know what the difference is between the two motor cops helmets are? There must be a reason why most are wearing white helmets and one guy is wearing a darker one. Maybe its a rank thing?

I don't know if I should be happy about this or outraged. MARTINEZ — A preliminary hearing for a homeless man charged with abducting a 4-year-old Concord boy and then taking him to lunch was halted today so the court could find a Mayan interpreter for the defendant. Police and attorneys have been communicating with 35-year-old Mexico native Jose Camal in Spanish since his arrest July 13, when officers say he took the child from outside his home on Meadow Lane and brought him to a nearby Chinese restaurant to share a meal. The boy was found unharmed near the restaurant about a half-hour after he was discovered missing. A drunken Camal then flagged down officers and confessed he took the child to the restaurant because the boy said he was hungry. Prosecutors initially declined to charge Camal, citing no evidence of devious intent. After a flood of e-mails from the public, prosecutors reconsidered and charged Camal with child abduction. A detective had started testifying this morning when Camal told his Spanish interpreter that he could only understand some of what she was translating. Attorneys said they were unaware that a Mayan language is Camal's native tongue. The hearing resumes Monday. - CoCo Times I'm glad ...

Who doesn't like to save money? Part of the problem with saving money at the store is trying to figure out what the best deals are and where to find them. Frugal Find is a website run by a Concord resident and is all about sharing where the best deals are for things everyone wants and needs. Not only does the super saver have a talent for finding the best deals for things like Skippy Peanut Butter and free bus passes for students, she goes the extra mile and give classes on how you can be a self sufficient coupon clipper and deal hunter. Coupon Classes teach you the ins and outs of saving buckets of money using coupons. The class sizes are small and they only cost $10.00. You get to learn from the coupon master and walk away with enough information for you to take on the quest yourself. Head over to the Frugal Find and see what great deals you can take advantage of this week!

The YouTube channel is Crabbytalllatte20. All I can get out of that is Crabby Tall Latte, and I can't imagine my latte doing anything other than getting me out of a crabby mood. I was looking for something interesting for a Sunday post and once again the sky has opened and another group of local celebrities posted some videos on YouTube. The names of the girls are a mystery to me since in two videos they introduce themselves with completely different names. Valery and Paris or Gloria and Christine. Whatever their names are, they make some interesting videos. From "A guys guide to what a girl wants." to "Where to cruise in Concord." They cruise around Concord stopping at Starbucks and harassing the employees (J/K) and taking us on a tour of Clyde. Most of the time is spent singing along to the radio. I wonder what inspired these two to do the videos and how they were able to secure a camera person to follow them everywhere? It's always a pleasure finding these gems online. Keep up the good work.

I guess the rumors of the Contra Costa County District Attorneys office are true. They have become very lax on crime with all of the budget cuts. Most recently the DA's office has failed to file charges on a man who was arrested and confessed to taking a 4 year old child from his front yard. In a bizarre twist, Jose Camal a Concord transient flagged down police officers a short time later and explained he had taken the kid to eat dinner. I guess after drinking a case of beer, he got hungry and wanted to have some company. Since the DA's office could not find a crime commited, they let Camal back onto the street. Legally, I guess I get it. Generally, kidnapping occurs when a person, without lawful authority, physically asports (i.e., moves) another person without that other person's consent, with the intent to use the abduction in connection with some other nefarious objective. Since this guy was too hammered to think straight and all he did was remove this child from his yard to go eat dinner, there was NO real crime. Hey, from the reports, the child told Camal he was hungry too so I guess this 4 ...

The story of the boy who stole a cell phone from the Concord Cellular Store just gets better. After releasing the videos on YouTube and the local blogs here in Concord, the boy's father did the right thing and returned the phone to the store and apologized for his kids actions. Some people (including me) think that this criminal is getting off easy. Granted, I'm not going to say the owner of the store Gary should still file charges. I do think the young man who stole the phone should have been man enough to apologize in person instead of having his father do it for him. There was some question about the woman in the video. Because of the age difference I assumed it was his mother but there was chatter that it may have been his girlfriend or just a friend. Turns out the woman in the video was the boys mother and she also went into the store to apologize to Gary about the theft. Gary wasn't working so she left him a voice mail. She claims that she had no idea her son was stealing the phone. HUH?!? No idea? Really?!? It's clear as day in the video ...

The last day Richie walked was October 21, 2006 due to a spinal cord injury sustained in a car accident. Richie has been involved in sports since he was 4 years old. He played baseball, football, was in karate but his love was playing soccer. Richie was awarded "ATHLETE OF THE YEAR" at Concord High his senior year. He was also given an award by the United States Marine Corps for his athletic achievements. Richie broke his neck in 3 places in the accident and has been diagnosed a quadriplegic. Richie's doctors have told him he will never walk again, something that Richie just does not want to accept. Of the 11,000 spinal cord injuries a year, the percent of people who regain the ability to walk again is very small. The reason is not always the injury, but the treatment! The GOAL is to send Richie to SCI-FIT (Spinal Cord Injury Functional Integrated Therapy) to provide the most comprehensive, post-traditional, exercise based therapy for those individuals who have suffered a debilitating injury. SCI-FIT maximizes the potential for each individual suffering from spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders by utilizing strategic exercises and providing the proper stimulation for an optimal functional outcome. Richie has ...

Cellular Sales is located in Concord, CA 94520, in front of Fry's Electronics in Concord Park and Shop. Being the areas largest cellular retailer, they get targeted by dishonest people from time to time. Good thing they have a bazillion cameras and a special YouTube channel where they post all of the videos of the criminals. This video was sent to me today from Gary. It shows a couple of cell phone thieves caught on camera taking a phone out of the display case. What I don't understand is why this guy's mom is there. She seems to be the mastermind and he's just doing the deed. Either this store has a great covert security system of these people are blind since the camera seems to be right in their face. Yeah...Real slick guy.