Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) articles from February 2001

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) archives from February 2001

New California Regulations to Impact Paralegals.
February 21, 2001... Byline: Claire Booth Feb. 18--Denise Copeland owns Diablo Valley Paralegal Services -- but not for much longer. The sole employee of her Walnut Creek business, Copeland found out recently she is legally required to take the word...

California Legislature Votes to Create New Agency to Run Power Plants.
February 21, 2001... Byline: Andrew LaMar Feb. 21--SACRAMENTO, Calif.--As California prepares to purchase electricity by issuing what would be the largest municipal bond offering in U.S. history, the Senate voted on Tuesday to create a new state agency to buy,...

Pinole, Calif., Bakery Serves as Teen Hangout Spot.
February 21, 2001... Byline: Curtis L. Esquibel Feb. 18--PINOLE, Calif.--The microphone was set up for a youth poetry slam, a Friday night of tight rhymes and fresh verses bouncing off the walls of Pinole's Bear Claw Bakery. But after it became apparent...

He's quite a hitter after being bitter.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Gary Washburn PHOENIX_From a disappointed draft pick to a standout minor leaguer, Ryan Ludwick has learned patience. Ludwick, 22, is one of three A's non-roster prospects who earned an invitation to major-league spring...

Embree can spell relief: S-u-r-g-e-r-y.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Joe Roderick SCOTTSDALE, Ariz._It's become almost a daily observation in Dusty Baker's afternoon media session: "Embree looked good, real good," the manager says. That would be Alan Embree, the veteran reliever who...

Readers sound off on the state of the NBA.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Neil Hayes YOU NEVER KNOW when you're going to strike a nerve_or just tick off a few dozen readers. There are days when you can write that Howie Long was the most overrated player in NFL history and flatline. On another day,...

Cal football is facing academic misconduct.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Jay Heater BERKELEY_Before former Cal wide receivers Michael Ainsworth and Ronnie Davenport played a game during the 1999 season, Bears coach Tom Holmoe checked into their credit for an ethnic studies course titled "Crossroads:...

Recreation of first `tailhook' plane under construction.
February 26, 2001... Byline: Yvonne Condes WALNUT CREEK, Calif._The Iowa-farmer-turned-pilot strapped a bicycle tube across his chest, placed a football helmet on his head and climbed aboard the airplane. It was Jan. 18, 1911, and the rain had just stopped...

Would American TV viewers watch live executions?
February 26, 2001... Byline: Chuck Barney As the reality-TV virus continues to sweep across the television terrain, many high-minded sociologists and media critics are wondering just how far it will take us. Have we hit the wall with the bug-eating...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Bankruptcies Column.
February 26, 2001... Feb. 24--The following businesses filed for legal protection from creditors in the federal bankruptcy court in Oakland. Companies most commonly file for protection under three chapters of the bankruptcy code: Chapter 7, which involves...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Business Bulletin Column.
February 26, 2001... Feb. 25--MONDAY: Experience Unlimited of Pleasant Hill, a no-fee, nonprofit volunteer organization sponsored by California Employment Development Department to help professionals seeking jobs, holds an orientation meeting, 8:30 a.m. at 367...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., People in Motion Column.
February 26, 2001... Feb. 24--PEOPLE IN MOTION: Pleasanton-based Valley Community Bank has appointed Danville investment advisor L. George Shore to its board of directors. Hayward-based Eden Housing Inc. has selected Linda Mandolini, director of real estate...

California Firms Illustrate Reversal of Trends in IPO Market.
February 26, 2001... Byline: George Avalos Feb. 23--The stalled market for new public companies has become a free fall. A growing number of companies around the country that had been planning first-time stock sales have canceled their initial public...

Dublin, Calif.-Based Software Firm Offers Plan for Revival from Bankruptcy.
February 26, 2001... Byline: George Avalos Feb. 23--DUBLIN, Calif. -- Quintus Corp., an East Bay high-tech firm that has reeled through a series of setbacks, lurched into bankruptcy on Thursday as a prelude to its possible sale to a spin-off of Lucent...

Asian-Americans Meld into California's East Bay Economy.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Teena Massingill Feb. 25--ABOUT THIS SERIES: The Times is publishing this look at the East Bay Asian business community as part of a year-long series on the economic status of minorities and minority-owned businesses in this area....

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Business Listing Column.
February 27, 2001... Feb. 25--The following individuals or corporations filed fictitious-business-name statements in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The Times makes every effort to ensure accuracy but cannot be held responsible if there are errors or omissions...

Chevron Leases More Space in San Ramon, Calif.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Kelly Smolen Feb. 25--SAN RAMON, Calif.--Chevron Corp. confirmed on Friday that the company has leased 250,000 square feet in a building under construction in the Bishop Ranch Business Park here. The deal marks one of the largest...

Contra Costa County, Calif., Prepares to Take Over Fire Warning System.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Denis Cuff Feb. 27--A system to speed public warnings of chemical and oil plant fires and explosions is ready for Contra Costa County to take over and fully activate after industries spent $5 million and seven years to develop it....

Charles Schwab Nurtures Growing Presence among West-Coast Asian Americans.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Ellen Lee Feb. 26--It was a humble beginning, says Wallace Louie. The office was small, windowless and located in the back of a Charles Schwab branch office in San Francisco. Two or three Chinese-speaking brokers manned the...

California to Buy Transmission Lines from Utility for $2.7 Billion.
February 27, 2001... Feb. 24--SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Gov. Gray Davis has reached agreement with Southern California Edison for the state to buy its transmission lines for $2.7 billion, but the larger, more expensive segment of the grid sought by the governor remains...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Retirement Planner Column.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Steve Butler Feb. 26--The late football coach George Allen once told a sports reporter, "Every time you win you're reborn. When you lose, you die a little." Many investors feel like they underwent a little bit of death last...

Pricey Lake Tahoe, Nev., Private Estate for Sale.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Matt Sebastian Feb. 26--The weekend getaway to Lake Tahoe has long been a staple of Bay Area living, a chance to lose one's troubles in knee-deep powder or the mile-high lake's azure waters. Well-to-do Tahoe trekkers know the...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., User Friendly Column.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Yael Li-Ron Feb. 25--Controversial Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is rumored to have been courting Bill Clinton to lure him into accepting a board position. What am I missing here? Clinton is a self-described technophobe (or at least...

New Economy Offers California Asian-Americans A Break from Tradition.
February 27, 2001... Byline: Teena Massingill Feb. 25--SMF Systems Corp. is on the second floor of building 2303, section 11 in San Ramon's Bishop Ranch -- in the midst of offices for Pacific Bell, the Contra Costa/Tri-Valley Telecommunications Incubator, IBM,...

Expert Reflects on Angel Investing in Post-Dot-Com Era.
February 27, 2001... Feb. 25--With the Nasdaq in a freefall and venture capital drying up, some entrepreneurs are pleading their cases to so-called angel investors, wealthy individuals who are still playing the high-risk, high-reward game of bankrolling other...

Oakland, Calif., Professional Football Team Sees Gain in Seat License Sales.
February 28, 2001... Byline: David Holbrook Feb. 26--OAKLAND, Calif.--For the first time since their troubled debut, more personal seat licenses were sold during the past Oakland Raiders season than were forfeited. The gain is relatively small, only about...