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) ...

A reader sent in an email asking for my opinion and I figured I would share this with all of you. The reader, we'll call him "Don" has a neighbor growing pot in his backyard. Since marijuana is one of those topics that there are people on both sides of the fence (no pun intended) on, read his email and let us know what you think. Mr. Concord, Since you have talked about the topic of legalized marijuana before, I wanted to know what you thought about a situation I find myself in. I've lived in Concord for the past 20 years, moving here from out of state. I'm not a drug user but I have read and seen the movement for legalizing medicinal marijuana in this state. This predicament is not related to that debate but more about the growing of weed for personal use. My neighbor has decided to start growing pot in his backyard. At first I wondered why he had little potted plants on his backyard easement but really thought nothing of it since they were gone after about a week. The other day I saw the two teenagers that live in the house and a few of their friends ...

The news about Phillip Garrido the kidnapper of Jaycee Dugard continues to unfold. I figured after his arrest, the investigation would turn up more crazy information about this guy and I was right. The Monster Makes a CD of sick lyrics. Turns out that Phillip Garrido was a musician. He creepy lyrics contains an insight to his sick mind. "The way she walks, yeah, subtly sexy/What can I do? I fall victim too/A little child, yeah, look what you do," goes one lyric that apparently blames a little girl for making Garrido fall victim to her sexual allure. Another lyric with a troubling message about young girls runs: "For every little girl in the world/They want to be in love, yeah/You're just the same, go play a game/Just tell me that you want me." He also sings: "Mother in your eyes, deepness in your pride/played well when I first met 'ya/Saved from the days, I kept saving you, but in the darkness you remain/Everybody pays in the human race/Being abused and used as devices." Local Antioch Mayor ...

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 ...

I had to read this email from a reader a few times to make sure I wasn't missing anything. The email explained how a single Concord family has become the victim of numerous crimes in just the span of a few days. The message starts off with a strong statement. (The email was in CAPS and I'm lazy and just cut and paste it) CONTRARY TO COMMON BELIEF,REGARDING THE GOOD REPUTATION OF LAW & ORDER SITUATIONS IN THE U.S. IN GENERAL,IT IS ASTONISHING & APPALLING TO SEE THE REALITY IN THE CITY OF CONCORD. HOUSE BURGLARY SEEMS THE ORDER OF THE DAY HERE. Next this Concord resident describes the story of a single family in their neighborhood and the crimes committed against them. (I have removed specific address info from the email.) THIS IS IN INFERENCE TO SERIES OF INCIDENCES IN HOUSE [removed] CONCORD CA-94521, WITH IN SPAN OF ONE & HALF MONTHS, WHICH SPEAK VOLUMES ABOUT THE PRESENT STATE OF AFFAIRS. FIRST, ON 14th.MAY,09, CONCORD POLICE CHASED A CAR (PROBABLY WITH A DRUNKEN DRIVER) WHICH SMASHED INTO & RANSACKED THE GARAGE & LIVING ROOM OF ABOVE HOUSE , CAUSING LOSS OF PROPERTIES WORTH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE LIVING ROOM, ...

Yes, I said it. Take a moment to think about it. Sure Transformers 2 is a blockbuster and who can't turn down watching Meghan Fox run around? One thing the Transformer movie doesn't have is an impact on the City of Concord or our schools. This project is a creative way of making money for the school district without just asking for a handout or raising our taxes.For $20. you can be a part of Concord history. The Concord Movie has released a new video about the Concord Movie. I already bought a pre-release of the movie. Actually I was so excited aout the idea of a movie being made in Conord with Concord talent that I didn't look too much into the people behind the scenes. I had exchanged some emails with Jeff Mosley the producer but figured he was just a member of the community wanting to make a difference. Well..he is that and after doing a quick search on him, he's a lot more. Jeff Mosley has a motion picture resume that is amazing. According to Jeff's IMDB page he's been a stunt man in some of my favorite flicks like the The Matrix Reloaded, The Siege, and The Net. ...

FIRST UFC GYM TO OPEN IN CONCORD, CALIFORNIA Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The UFC® Octagon™ isn't just for fighters anymore. Now, for the first time in the 15-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship®, anyone - no matter how young or old – can experience what it's like to train in the most exciting sport in the world thanks to the launch of the UFC® Gym™. UFC and New Evolution Fitness Company (NEFC) announced today that Concord, California will be the first home to the ultimate fitness destination, one that combines a complete UFC experience with mixed martial arts and fitness. "We are excited to open our first UFC Gym, it's going to have something for everyone in the family, from traditional mixed martial arts classes, to all-around fitness classes, personal training and a gym just for kids," said Dana White, UFC President. "We are going to redefine the fitness industry, and get everyone excited about fitness again, starting with the first UFC Gym in Concord, California." NEFC Co-founders, Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley, both from the East Bay, believe that Concord, CA is the ideal location for the first UFC Gym. "Born, raised and now residing in the East Bay, we ...

Around 2:40 a person called the Concord Police reporting a Hispanic man breaking into a car in the Concord BART parking lot. Something must have spooked the guy and he got into his truck and ran. Multiple Concord units were responding and the man ditched his truck and took off on foot. As CPD chased him, he jumped into a backyard and the set up a perimeter. It sounded like K-9 was going to get some action but a call came into the CPD from someone in a nearby office building that could see the the man hiding in the backyard from the police. Concord Police surrounded the house and slowly tightened the perimeter. I guess after pissing himself knowing he was about to go to jail, the thought of getting a gold tooth in his ass really freaked him out and he gave up. Approx 3-5 cars were broken into at the Concord BART lot and the man was found with items on him in the backyard. It's not rocket science that this was the stolen merchandise. The crook was so worked up after his little run from the law that he passed out as the Concord Police were arresting him. They called ...

After the recent news of Karen Perez being the first Swine Flu related death in Contra Costa County, it appears there are more cases of the H1N1 virus being reported from the El Monte Elementry School. Claycord is reporting that a message accidentally went out to parents of kids attending El Monte saying that other kids have been admitted to hospitals with Swine Flu symptoms. The message was meant for staff and not parents. In the most recent message from the principal, she said the two students were "rushed" to the hospital with swine flu symptoms, and also told her staff to call her on her cell if they didn't plan to come to school on Monday. The kids have not been confirmed cases of Swine Flu but it sounds like the school is preparing for the worst case scenario. If this turns out to be true, this would be the largest outbreak of H1N1 in Contra Costa County.

Not just getting off easy, the criminals in Contra Costa County are almost getting a free pass for committing low level crimes. It goes without saying that the people were pissed that a public office designed to protect it's citizens was about to stop protecting them. The suggested cuts to criminal prosecution where pretty bad. For misdemeanors, we will continue to review and file the following types of cases: 1. All DUI cases; 2. All domestic violence misdemeanors, including domestic violence restraining order violations; 3. Misdemeanor weapons cases if the weapon is a firearm (e.g., 417, 12025, 12031). Conversely, we will no longer review or file any non-firearm misdemeanor weapons cases (e.g., 653k, nunchuks, dirk or dagger, billy, etc.); 4. Misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter cases; 5. Misdemeanor sex crimes, such as 314.1, 647.6, and misdemeanor 290 violations. These cases, regardless of where the crime occurred, should be delivered to our Sexual Assault Unit at 900 Ward Street, Martinez, for review; 6. Misdemeanors involving police officer victims (e.g., 148, 69, 243(b)) will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for filing, but must be presented in person to the appropriate misdemeanor filing deputy by your agency (no drop-offs); 7. Cases of assault with a weapon and some degree of injury will ...

For a long time groups have been fighting the system in California to legalize marijuana. A few battles have been won on a State level but the Federal regulations still have many groups targeted for raids and prosecution. There used to be a medicinal marijuana 'cannabis club' in Concord. No, I don't mean your local dealer down the street. It was at 2155 Colfax St. A California legislator today proposed making the state the first to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The legislation, by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a Democrat from San Francisco, would allow people 21 and older to grow, buy, sell and possess pot. It would be sold, regulated and taxed similar to alcohol. The state would collect $50 an ounce from sellers, and growers, too, would be taxed. He estimates that the cash-strapped state could reap more than $1 billion a year. "We could in fact have the political will to do something, and certainly in the meantime this is a public policy call and I think it's worth the discussion," Ammiano told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think the outcome would be very healthy for California and California's economy." The bill (AB 390) would ban use near schools and prohibit growing ...

I thought this story was not worth spending the time on but changed my mind. This has been covered by other local blogs such as Claycord and Crazy in Suburbia which also got some attention from CBS5. Newspapers are feeling the crunch of the economic downturn just like many industries but newspapers have been feeling the pinch for a long time. Traditional news is an online world now and paper is a waste of money. Some estimates are that a normal newspaper that costs $1.25 on the stand actually costs the company as much as $10 to print it. That can't be good news for newspapers. MediaNews is making their employees take a furlough just to save from having layoffs. The newspaper industry has gone through many changes over the past couple decades, one of which was their adoption of the internet as a viable source of publication. As this explains, back in 1981 some of the largest papers in the US took ahold of the internet to spread the latest news. It was a big gamble that has paid off well for some and not so well for others. The Silicon Alley Insider explained that printing the NY Times costs twice ...

News of the BART police officer who shot Oscar Grant on News Years day is getting more complex by the day. Former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle says that he was going to fire a Taser stun gun, not his pistol, just before he shot Oscar Grant who he was trying to arrest early New Year's Day at an Oakland station, his attorney says. On Jan. 5th I explained that a Taser is very similar to a hand gun. I couldn't imagine how a police officer could knowingly pull a firearm and shoot an unarmed man in the back and a Taser is the only reason I could think of. Turns out that is the excuse he is giving to the court. The confusing part of this is that in witness statements, Mehserle was heard to say "Tony, I thought he was going for a gun." moments after he shot Oscar Grant. Tony Pirone was the second BART officer seen in the video who was holding down the head of Oscar Grant just before the gun shot was fired. Resisting arrest and going for a gun are two separate issues. No one wants to get handcuffed and using a Taser on a person ...

It was all over the news and actually broken on Twitter. A US Airways passenger jet made a crash landing in the Hudson River shortly after take of from New York’s LaGuardia Airport heading to Charlotte, N.C.. The internet was all a buzz with realtime information on the water landing of the Airbus A-320 after the pilot hit a flock of geese. The great news is that all of the 148 passengers on-board the plane were rescued. The pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger is being called a hero by passengers, law enforcement and witnesses to the event. Chesley Sullenberger is a hero and an East Bay native, residing in Danville Ca. Before the mainstream news started showing live footage, people from the area were spreading information on Twitter. A Twitter user Janis Krums was on the Ferry first on the scene of the US Airways crash and took this picture with his camera phone and posted it. I love the internet. Within minutes of the crash pictures were being posted online. You can see in this photo by by grego! that before any resue craft arrived passengers were already exiting the plane into the life rafts. As soon as mainstream news caught on, ...

It's all over the news. Over New Years there was a man fatally shot at the Fruitvale BART station. No one is debating why the BART Police responded to the station. There were many reports of a fight on the train and the BART Police responded to assess the situation and separate the groups involved. What BART didn't count on was that in the age of technology there would be video taken of the entire incident as it unfolded. OAKLAND — A BART police officer struggling to handcuff a 22-year-old man, stood up over the facedown Hayward resident and fired a single shot into his back while a handful of officers watched, a video taken by a train passenger apparently shows. - Mercury News Channel 2 News has released the video that was obtained by the people still on the BART train as they watched in horror as a man was being subdued by BART Police and then shot in the back. New Years day the story was that BART video cameras were unable to record the shooting but those weren't the only camera rolling. When I first heard the news on New Years day that there was an officer involved shooting at BART, ...