You haven't seen Chico the Dog in the Contra Costa Times but he's been featured in Eye on Blogs. He is the only dog with his own blog. Chico lives in the East Bay and needs a home. I'm pretty big -- about 100 lbs. I'm a cross between a German and an Australian Shep. I'm pretty sure my mom was the Aussie since my tail is cropped. I will protect you -- and if you have gardeners with blowers, I'll scare the compost out of 'em. OK, I do have a few issues: I am an alpha male, and I really like cats (they taste good). So, if it's just you and me, we're golden! I'm an awesome dog. Really -- just ask me. I'll tell you.... I love people. I love to take walks. I know how to sit and lie down. Did I mention that I'm only 2 years old? Chico was found near Clearlake and is being taken care of by a foster family with the Contra Costa SPCA, based in Concord. Chico started his blog after moving to the East Bay and finally having  a broadband connection. I know the foster family and though they love ...

Esteban Nunez the son of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez is all over the news for being arrested for the murder of a Concord resident Luis Santos. Besides getting updates on this story from mainstream news, there is so much more to find online on Esteban Nunez. As with most people his age, he is a member of the social media community MySpace and since his profile is open for the public (for now), there are many pictures of him and his crew. http://www.myspace.com/enunez89 This picture shows Esteban and his friends. Seems like they have the same fascination with the biohazard symbol since all of them are showing off their tattoos. These are the tattoos that join them together in the THC crew. THC is a chemical in Marijuana but in this case it seems that THC stands for "The Hazard Crew". All the members of the attack were members of this THC crew and the police are looking into this as a gang crime. Arrested in addition to Esteban Nunez were Ryan Jett, Rafael Garcia and Leshanor Thomas. Esteban has Ryan Jett on his MySpace friends list and there is a L.T. which could be Leshanor Thomas but that's not confirmed. MySpace is a wealth ...

As if the Mayor didn't already have his hands full with taxes, hookers, cranksters, and internet scandal. Bill Shinn is having to open up the debate on the land use plan of the Naval Weapons Station and making room for the growing homelessness problem. I though his "Quit Having Sex" policy was going to do the trick but I guess not. City leaders are debating how to accommodate some of the county's homeless population on the shuttered Concord Naval Weapons Station. City Council members are trying to decide whether Concord should put $25 million into a trust for homeless services and housing throughout the county, or instead approve a plan for 260 "homeless" housing units on the former military base. The federal government, through its base closure laws, requires that communities overseeing a base closure dedicate part of the land or money made off it to homeless causes. Required by law...Looks like Billy better figure something out quick. Nothing I heard about in the land use discussions had anything to do with the homeless. Lots of clustered villages, road construction and parks but nothing for the Concord homeless. But the best quote from Bill Shinn came later in the article. "Yet we have the experts ...

One of the best things about running a local blog is all of the people I get to meet along the way and see what they do. Regardless of the type of event you need a photographer for like a party, a wedding or just a great set of professional photos, finding quality is difficult. I know when we were looking for a wedding photographer, it was a long task to qualify everyone. Just choosing a random photographer from the yellow pages is never good enough. I was contacted through Facebook by a local photographer Wayne Miller in Clayton to be added as a contact. Once I saw that Wayne had a website, I had to check it out. There are many local photographers in the Claycord area but this site is one of the most professional and content rich I have seen in a while. Wayne Miller Photography of Clayton, California, specializes in Portraits and Commercial Photography. Creative Innovation in Photography with an Avant-garde style as he always pushes the envelope in photography.  HDR (High Dynamic Range) images, out of the box, and classic styles to meet client’s needs. Wayne Miller Photography even has an programs for models building their portfolios. The ...

Most people are concern about the environment. The National Green Machine is gaining steam and people on a local level are trying to inflict change. Some support Green initiatives by recycling more others by promoting alternative energies. The Divas over at MuseGreen take it a few steps further by running a blog sharing and discussing all things GREEN. MuseGreen was started by five ladies that wanted to do more than just talk about ways to make the Earth a better place. MuseGreen is based out of Walnut Creek Ca. and uses the power of the internet and social media tools like Twitter to put a little bit of green all over the world. Green Games Play games on the site to have trees planted for real. Sow much for the planet! Warm up those brain cells and do something great for the planet at the same time! For every 10 questions you answer correctly, we’ll plant a tree on your behalf. Login and we’ll keep your all time score! Green Shopping MuseGreen’s green shopping experience donates 2% of all proceeds to our hand-chosen environmental causes. Now, of course, they’d love everybody to choose from their selection of eco-friendly, organic products, but we also know that life’s ...

Some people like eHarmony.com, others like the more conventional method of going to a bar to meet people. When all else fails and you just want a late night booty call, just head over to craiglist.com and get a local prostitute for an hour or two. Hooker, prostitute, call girl, whatever you want to call them, they are offering sexual services for money. *Warning* This post will have links of an adult nature and is Not Safe for Work. Also, if you are easily offended you way want to stop reading now. by telethon - Actual picture from Oakland Craigslist is great for finding jobs, free stuff and information about your area. There is a dark side to Craigslist few know about and one of those sides is the not so hidden list of available hookers in any given city. Why can't they be stopped? The answer is pure volume. With the police being reactive to all the crimes they currently have, setting up a proactive group to stop people from selling sex in their city just takes the back burner. Am I being to harsh? There must be a reason for it, anyday of the week I can go to Craigslist in ...

Golden Willow has been identified with the Best Chinese Food in Concord by the Mayor of Concord dot Com. In my time in Concord, there have been and still are many Chinese resteraunts in Concord. Golden Willow may have been here the longest and if not, they are the only one I remember eating at since I was younger. Established in 1989 Golden Willow is run by Chef Dickey and Vance. On the Golden Willow website they make a point of saying Vance will remember their customers by name and what you last ordered. She has an impeccable memory and is always so happy to see new and returning customers. Golden Willow's food Chef Dickey is a 5 star chef and his food is absolutely amazing. The Golden Willow Menu has everything you could possibly want from a great Chinese Restaurant. Their Mushu is my all time favorite and if you order it there, they will wrap up a few rolls for you right at the table. One of the first things I look for at a Chinese restaurant is the chicken. Some Chinese restaurants use any part of the chicken they want and I tend to get grossed out by pieces of ...

Good Indian food is hard to find in Concord. Swagat Indian Cuisine is my favorite. There are some great restaurants in Concord. I want to point one out that I happen to eat at more than most. One of the things I missed most about the short time I spent in SF was decent Indian food. It took a couple failed attempts until I found an Indian restaurant in Concord that left me wanting more regardless of how full I was. Swagat, whose name means, "Welcome," has taken over the space formally occupied by Cajun Café. Swagat is the only Indian place around that offers several specialties from Madras and the Southeast. These dishes have become the restaurant's signature dishes; they are basically crêpes made from various lentil flours, such as moong bean, urad and cream of wheat occasionally mixed with soaked rice and in some cases spiked with onions and chilies. Crisp and flaky, tawny brown and full a foot long, they cantilever over the plate in a display of exuberant excess. Dosas are gigantic and filling, since most of them are lavishly stuffed with vegetable curry-including potatoes laced ...

The mortgage melt down and the foreclosure rate is hurting more than home owners. As more and more homes are being left vacant, squatters are taking over and this is hurting our neighborhoods. A squatter could range from transients that move into the abandoned home to kids that use the empty houses as their own personal party pad. There was a recent story in the Contra Costa Times about real estate agents that are becoming increasingly more fearful when they visit these homes and are appalled by the damage some of them contain. Photo by respres Realtors speculate that the souring economy is making the problem grow, as homeless or evicted people search for a shower, cool air, or a stove to cook on. Some leave by day, when agents may show up. Occasionally, it's neighborhood partyers who sneak into a vacant home for reckless fun. Boarding up a Bay Point house where vandals kicked through the walls in several rooms and yanked out cabinets, rehab contractor Randy Rodriguez said he found the remains of a sordid party. "You see a lot of gross stuff," he said. "We see more squatters. They're so aware these houses are abandoned." Realtors often call police when they suspect ...

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="by inacheapwestern "][/caption] Why do I start this off with the First Amendment of the Constitution? Because as a tax payer and a proud American, I believe in this fundamental right to my core. I believe that everyone has the right to express themselves and their opinions in ANY way that does not hurt the general public. The fact that people may not like my site is ok, like your TV, change the channel, the local government should not be coming after local bloggers trying to shut them down. Owning the Mayor of Concord domain has been a challenge in the 3 weeks of it's life. Between emails, website comments and comments sent to me about the website, I have spent less time writing about the City of Concord and more time responding to the ridiculous amount of attention I am getting about it. Don't get me wrong, the fact that in 2 ...

Straight from the headlines and collected for the site, I am going to highlight some bank robberies from around Concord. In the past few months Concord has been hit with 4 bank robberies. From 6/27/08 to the most recent robbery on 8/25. 4 bank robberies within 2 months is a lot even by Concord standards. Thankfully there were only minor injuries in one of the robberies when the criminals decided to pistol whip a security guard and a bank teller. You can read more about these robberies at the end of this post.