Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) articles from July 2005

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) archives from July 2005

A's Kendall a model batterymate.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Rick Hurd WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ They descend upon him like the quiet dusting of snow flakes. Pitchers, unique in their deliveries and their stuff and their demeanor, blow into Jason Kendall's life each spring, no two exactly...

Saarloos steps up for A's.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Bill Kolb OAKLAND, Calif. _ Kirk Saarloos: A's stopper. Who knew? After three of the more forgettable starting pitching performances of the season, Saarloos put the clamps on the Detroit Tigers' batters. Danny Haren, Rich...

Kalitta notches another Top Fuel title at Sonoma.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Joe Stiglich SONOMA, Calif. _ Record-breaking times and speeds are starting to become old news when the National Hot Rod Association competes at Infineon Raceway. For that matter, so are wins by Doug Kalitta. Kalitta...

Raiders' defense still a question mark.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Steve Corkran NAPA, Calif. _ Former Raiders linebacker Dwayne Rudd did his best to enlighten inquisitors when asked about new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan during training camp last season. Was Ryan the right guy to turn...

Builder of a better browser looks ahead.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Ellen Lee Jul. 31--PALO ALTO -- Blake Ross is sprawled in a chair at a coffee shop near Stanford University, his long legs, clad in baggy Tommy Hilfiger jeans, stretched underneath the table. He looks like any other college...

Anti-expansion group emerges.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Lisa Vorderbrueggen Jul. 31--With three hot East Contra Costa developer-sponsored growth initiatives headed to the November ballot, an opposition coalition is sprouting roots. Developers have wads of campaign cash and "some...

Public need clashes with Delta effort.
July 31, 2005... Byline: Mike Taugher Jul. 31--Water officials twice this year overrode protection measures for Delta smelt by sustaining and increasing pumping even as the estuary's fish were declining at an alarming rate, documents show. In...

Woes foreseen in casino growth.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jul. 30--The imminent expansion into casino-style gaming at a San Pablo card room will create big emergency medical care problems, according to a Contra Costa County study. The retooled Casino San Pablo, which is...

College board today will choose new trustee.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Eric Louie Jul. 30--The governing board of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District is scheduled to interview and choose a replacement trustee Tuesday afternoon at the district's Pleasanton offices. Four candidates...

Grim words for housing in California's Bay Area.
July 30, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jul. 30--CONCORD -- Call it a bubble, froth or lather, the Bay Area housing market is a party that has to end, the top boss at mortgage giant Freddie Mac warned Friday. Mortgage borrowers and residential real...

Chevron dip may dissuade investors.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Rick Jurgens Jul. 30--Chevron Corp. on Friday posted strong second-quarter profits of $3.68 billion, or $1.76 a share, as high petroleum and refined product prices offset declines in crude oil production and some problems in...

Builder of a better browser looks ahead.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Ellen Lee Jul. 30--PALO ALTO -- Blake Ross is sprawled in a chair at a coffee shop near Stanford University, his long legs, clad in baggy Tommy Hilfiger jeans, stretched underneath the table. He looks like any other college...

Payton hits grand slam in A's win.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Curtis Pashelka OAKLAND, Calif. _ Jay Payton found himself in a pretty unusual situation on Saturday. The outfielder had just sat down in the A's dugout, relishing his fourth-inning grand slam when suddenly he heard a...

`The Professor' heading for home in NHRA.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Joe Stiglich SONOMA, Calif. _ They call him "The Professor" even though he never earned his college degree. It's the studious, analytical approach Warren Johnson takes to drag racing that's made him the winningest Pro Stock...

Raiders' Curry leaves little reason to doubt him.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Steve Corkran NAPA, Calif. _ Wide receiver Ronald Curry wants you to know that there is no doubt in his mind that he will be back this season. A torn Achilles tendon might spell the end of a promising career for some people....

Antioch, Calif., proposal would levy fee on home buyers to pay for transport.
July 30, 2005... Byline: Sarah Krupp Jul. 30--ANTIOCH -- New home buyers in East County could pay as much as $13,000 more for their dream house under a plan to raise more money for regional transportation projects. The proposal would nearly double...

Happy Valley annex process approved.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Chris Metinko Jul. 29--PLEASANTON -- A state appeals court has upheld an earlier court ruling that city and county officials followed the proper process in annexing part of Happy Valley. This week's ruling paves the way for...

Antioch, Calif., Islamic leader invites dialogue with mayor, police chief.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Randy Myers Jul. 29--ANTIOCH -- Mohammad Chaudhry wants East Contra Costa's Muslims and community leaders to know each other better. That's why the president of Antioch's Islamic Center of East Bay invited the mayor and the...

Proposed higher education reforms ease restrictions on for-profit colleges.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Matt Krupnick Jul. 29--With the help of Congress, for-profit colleges are on the verge of redefining their place in the education hierarchy -- and gaining millions of dollars in the process. A key House committee last week...

OPINION: Protecting car buyers.
July 29, 2005... Jul. 29--The California Car Buyers' Bill of Rights that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law earlier this week is a substantially watered-down version of what consumer rights advocates wanted. That said, the law, which will take...

OPINION: Full public disclosure.
July 29, 2005... Jul. 29--Are the names and salaries of public employees truly public? California's Public Record Act seems to say they are. So did an Alameda County Superior Court and the state Court of Appeal. Now the California Supreme Court will have the...

Ozone levels pose a challenge in California.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Bonita Brewer Jul. 29--LIVERMORE -- Tri-Valley residents aren't the only ones to blame when Livermore exceeds federal air quality standards for ozone levels, but they can be part of the solution, Alameda County Supervisor Scott...

California park officials suggest food-chain fix to protect birds.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Denis Cuff Jul. 29--East Bay park operators want to test a new weapon in the struggle to protect hawks and eagles from the killing blades of wind turbines: sheep. And no. The idea isn't to put the birds to sleep by having...

Reforms to benefit for-profit colleges.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Matt Krupnick Jul. 29--With the help of Congress, for-profit colleges are on the verge of redefining their place in the education hierarchy -- and gaining millions of dollars in the process. A key House committee last week...

Alameda County, Calif., scraps Hayward Bypass.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Guy Ashley Jul. 29--OAKLAND -- Two years after it was killed by community opposition and the courts, a Hayward freeway project was officially buried Thursday when Alameda County transportation officials voted to fund four...

Some California school teams forced to take its act on the road.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Ricardo Sanchez Jr. Jul. 29--El Divisadero Field adjacent to Berean Christian High School is not the most ideal place to hold a football game. The downward slope at the northeast corner of the field might be one reason. The...

San Ramon, Calif., school-fund theft suspect takes plea.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Eric Louie Jul. 29--MARTINEZ -- A San Ramon mother on Thursday pleaded no contest to embezzling what leaders of a middle school fund-raising club say totaled almost $75,000, but will avoid serving jail time. The crime...

Cerrito Theater bids come in high.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Alan Lopez Jul. 29--Construction bids for Cerrito Theater renovations have come in higher than expected, but no one other than the developer seems to know by how much. The city was anticipating that the project would cost...

West Nile-infected birds threaten California cities.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Denis Cuff Jul. 29--Danville and Alamo residents may face an elevated risk of getting West Nile virus because of a concentration of infected birds detected there, health officials said Thursday. The discovery of the second...

A's win another, remain calm.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ During the A's dreary days in May, manager Ken Macha kept his cool, never lambasting his team or tipping over the spread, an old managerial trick. His even-keel demeanor was an asset during the...

Woodson returns a happy camper.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Steve Corkran NAPA, Calif. _ Cornerback Charles Woodson emerged from the locker room Friday afternoon, smiling, greeting people and exuding confidence. Charles in charge, once again. No more holdouts. No more knee injury....

Wimbledon revived Venus of old.
July 29, 2005... Byline: Jennifer Starks STANFORD, Calif. _ Richard Williams couldn't help but smile as he watched his daughter scamper about the greens at the All-England Tennis Club. Venus Williams was laughing uncontrollably and jumping all around...

Chiron reports flat earnings.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Judy Silber Jul. 28--Beset by problems at two flu vaccine manufacturing plants, Emeryville-based Chiron Corp. posted disappointing earnings Wednesday for the second quarter of 2005. Costs associated with its Liverpool,...

`Dancing' fever catches a bit of heat from critics.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. _ Somehow you just knew that a press conference for ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" wasn't going to be a huggy-squeezey lovefest when the first question from the floor was: "What the hell were...

Credit card interest rates inch higher.
July 28, 2005... Byline: James Temple Jul. 28--Credit card companies are more readily ratcheting up interest rates, sometimes dinging customers simply for inquiring about a car loan, according to a survey by a San Francisco-based consumer group. ...

Cost plan outlined for Bay's new span.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jul. 28--The linchpin portion of the new Bay Bridge, a steel-laden, single-tower suspension span, began a new chapter Wednesday when Bay Area toll officials launched a fresh round of bidding and unveiled a new...

$87,500 for condo? Just look in Clayton.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Ryan Huff Jul. 28--It's not every day you find a three-bedroom home in Clayton selling for as low as $87,500. That's a steal when a median-priced home in the foothills of Mount Diablo costs more than eight times that amount....

Community college employees set to vote on contract.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Matt Krupnick Jul. 28--The turbulence of the Contra Costa Community College District continues to calm. Classified employees -- including gardeners, custodians and secretaries -- this week will begin voting on a contract...

EDITORIAL: Cutting the junk food.
July 28, 2005... Jul. 28--Gov. Schwarzenegger says it's time for kids to stop eating high-caloric junk food and start eating more healthy fruits and vegetables. We couldn't agree more. In an effort to fight what he calls California's "obesity epidemic," the...

EDITORIAL: Making sure the rubber meets the road.
July 28, 2005... Jul. 28--Roads, tires and transportation: It's a natural partnership. We're glad to see Caltrans' growing receptiveness to the naturalness of the idea. State transportation officials say the department will be using recycled tires in 25...

District proposes environmental projects.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Scott Marshall Jul. 28--San Ramon city staff members will hold a public hearing next week to discuss potential environmental projects that would be funded by the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District -- a funding effort in lieu...

Lab bears fruit for homeland security chief.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Betsy Mason Jul. 28--Lawrence Livermore Laboratory showcased its biological and radiological detection technology Wednesday to the secretary of Homeland Security on his first visit to the lab. The science, technology and...

More teens reach out, IM someone.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Ellen Lee Jul. 28--These dayz, if a grl luvs a boi, she sends an IM instead of picking up the fone. Though teenage rituals haven't changed, the technology they use, such as instant messaging, has shifted dramatically,...

City designates $25 million for theater.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Bonita Brewer Jul. 28--LIVERMORE - The City Council voted 3-2 Monday night to earmark the entire $25 million it will receive in Altamont Landfill fees for a 500-seat downtown performing arts theater. The council also narrowly...

No excuse for messing with the great outdoors.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Mike Gale Jul. 28--Imagine it's the weekend and you're finally free. You head out to your favorite camping spot, anticipating the peace and quiet and the general well being from being outdoors. You find a campsite, pitch your...

Zito a big part of A's resurgence.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ It's a nice compliment, but Barry Zito would just as soon not hear that he's pitching as well as he has since his 2002 Cy Young Award season. "I'd like to get past that," Zito said this week....

Around the remote: TV picks for July 31-Aug. 6.
July 28, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney DON'T MISS: "BEACH GIRLS" _ It's a slow TV week filled with reruns and more reality programming, so it might be time for a little summer romance. Rob Lowe, who's had a tough go of it since leaving "The West...

Reality TV becomes more charitable.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. _ Television, over the years, has been accused of many heinous crimes against humanity: It rots our children's brains, some say. It numbs us to violence. I turns us into lazy blobs. It assaults...

Spare the Air season off to good start.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Jul. 27--Cooler, windier weather today is expected to replace Tuesday's conditions that prompted the summer smog season's first Spare the Air Day and free rides for Bay Area commuters on more than 20 bus, train and...

Board will vote on eliminating limits on campaign spending.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Peter Felsenfeld Jul. 27--Contra Costa supervisors on Tuesday said they want to be able to spend as much as it takes to win elections. However, the board stopped short of casting off voluntary spending limits for...

Looking out for Car buyers: 'Bill of rights' pledges sales transparency.
July 27, 2005... Byline: James Temple Jul. 27--A law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday will give California the nation's most stringent set of car buyer protections, a step cautiously embraced by both consumer groups and automobile dealers....

Casino closes parking lot to neighboring hospital.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Jul. 27--If you work at Doctors Medical Center San Pablo, your odds of finding a convenient parking space are worse than ever. Next-door Casino San Pablo, looking at a tentative Aug. 1 opening day for about 500...

Livermore OKs plan for church with catch.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Bonita Brewer Jul. 27--LIVERMORE -- CrossWinds Church was dealt a blow Monday night when the City Council approved its proposed facility on 25 acres in western Livermore -- if the church provides secondary emergency road access...

Community college employees set to vote on contract.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Matt Krupnick Jul. 27--The turbulence of the Contra Costa Community College District continues to calm. Classified employees -- including gardeners, custodians and secretaries -- this week will begin voting on a contract...

County to pay for taxes on benefits.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Guy Ashley Jul. 27--OAKLAND -- Brushing aside concerns about alleged conflicts of interest, Alameda County supervisors on Tuesday approved a $23.7 million contribution to a fund that pays taxes on the health benefits of about...

Will the Solano Drive-In theater ever reopen?
July 27, 2005... Byline: Ryan Huff Jul. 27--CONCORD - When the cars line up on summer nights at the Solano Drive-In, moviegoers eagerly wait for the sun to go down and the screens to come alive. But here in July a funky theater sign reads "Drive In...

EDITORIAL: A separation of labor.
July 27, 2005... Jul. 27--What's this? The solidarity of the American labor movement is coming unhinged? Two of the nation's most powerful unions are separating from the vaunted AFL-CIO and others appear ready to do so. Is this the beginning of the...

Cost woes threaten facility.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Martin Snapp Jul. 27--BERKELEY -- The yet-to-be-constructed David Brower Center, the most ambitious public/private development in the city's history, is facing huge cost overruns that could jeopardize its future. The City...

State expands newborn test for genetic abnormalities.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Sandy Kleffman Jul. 27--For the first time in 13 years, California has dramatically expanded its newborn screening program to detect more disorders that can lead to serious disabilities or death. The expansion will enable...

Shuttle back in space.
July 27, 2005... Jul. 27--After a 2 1/2-year hiatus, America's space shuttle is back in operation with the successful launch of Discovery on Tuesday morning. After a delay because of a faulty fuel gauge, the spaceship lifted off and went into orbit...

Venture slump not seen as a trend in Walnut Creek, Calif., area.
July 27, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jul. 27--Venture financing dwindled during the spring in the Bay Area, according to a report released Tuesday, but the slowdown has not alarmed venture executives. Despite the slump in funding for Bay Area...

A's rally to beat Indians in 10 innings.
July 27, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ Marco Scutaro's toughest task of the 10th inning wasn't staring down a David Riske fastball and popping it into left field to score the game-winning run in the A's 5-4 victory Wednesday over the...

Council shepherds development throughout Walnut Creek, Calif., area.
July 26, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Jul. 26--WALNUT CREEK -- Mention the phrase Contra Costa Council, and the reaction might well be, "Who?" Yet from your street to Main Street in the East Bay, the council has become one of the area's most...

Beau's adult kids aren't welcoming.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe Q: I am in my 50s with two adult kids. I've been married for 25 years and alone for the past 10. I have been going with a wonderful man in his 60s who lost his wife of 32 years from cancer six...

ABC producers spill few beans.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. _ Thanks to ABC hits "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," serialized dramas are back in a big way and that means it's "game on" at television's summer press tour. The game, in this case, is...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., business leader profile column.
July 26, 2005... Jul. 26--CONTRA COSTA COUNCIL LEADERS SEE FAVORABLE TRENDS: The Times recently interviewed Contra Costa Council executive director Linda Best and council president Stanley Taylor about a variety of issues related to the East Bay. ...

Ben Franklin's 300th birthday bash takes off this year.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Anne Chalfant You might say Ben Franklin was the Big Daddy of Founding Fathers. His 300th birthday is January 17, 2006 _ but already the man is being feted around the nation and world. Founding Father, internationally...

A diamond in the rough: Officials hope to cash in on Byron Airport's potential.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Kiley Russell Jul. 26--The Byron Airport is a sparkle in the eyes of many east Contra Costa leaders who see an untapped economic gem sitting in their rural backyard, but political and physical barriers are conspiring to prevent a...

Las Positas College will offer a bachelor's degree.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Eric Louie Jul. 26--From counterculture's cutting edge to the educational mainstream, integral studies are coming to the Livermore-Amador Valley. Las Positas College has teamed up with an alternative college borne of 1960s...

Morning rides free for Spare the Air day.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Denis Cuff Jul. 26--Passengers get free rides this morning on BART, buses and other Bay Area public transit in the largest promotion of its kind to fight smog on bad-air days. People boarding buses, ferries and trains between...

Hershey to buy Scharffen Berger.
July 26, 2005... Byline: James Temple Jul. 26--The Hershey Co. has agreed to acquire Berkeley's rapidly expanding artisan chocolatier Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker Inc. The value of the deal was not disclosed. Calls to 9-year-old Scharffen...

California governor signs Highway 13 scenic route bill.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Eric Kurhi Jul. 26--Drivers on Highway 13 may soon be seeing poppies after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation making it eligible for state scenic route status. If Caltrans approves, the designation would bring with...

Earthquake expert Bruce Bolt dies at 75.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Betsy Mason Jul. 26--Bruce Bolt, a passionate, influential advocate for seismic safety who was instrumental in forming many of the state's earthquake hazard and preparedness laws, died Thursday in an Oakland hospital of...

Stanton Schwartz, a fan of food, music, dies at 71.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Robert Taylor Jul. 26--Dr. Stanton Schwartz, a Walnut Creek neurologist who helped bring CT scan technology to Contra Costa County and who was as passionate about music, food and wine as about medicine and his family, died at...

OPINION: Armstrong's victory.
July 26, 2005... Jul. 26--There is one positive side to the decision by ubercyclist Lance Armstrong to retire after winning his seventh straight Tour de France. At this time next year we won't need to fashion any fresh superlatives about his remarkable...

OPINION: Fighting terror here.
July 26, 2005... Jul. 26--If Sept. 11, 2001 taught us one thing, it is that poor coordination among public-safety operations can be deadly. That is why we applaud an effort now under way in the East Bay that is designed to maximize coordinated...

Blackhawk, Calif., to vote on police tax.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Linda Davis Jul. 26--BLACKHAWK -- Residents in this upscale community of 4,255 voters will be asked in a special mail-in ballot election to spend 28 cents more per day for police services. If the measure is approved,...

Hot A's offense cooled off by Indians' Westbrook.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ You might find this hard to believe, but the A's lost a game Tuesday night. Shocking. Their bid for an eighth straight victory and further strengthening of their wild-card lead was halted...

49ers' owner York shows Smith the money.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Eric Gilmore SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ We used to think that San Francisco 49ers owner John York pinched pennies hard enough to make Lincoln scream uncle. At least that was York's image when he took over for Eddie Debartolo, his...

Retirement didn't suit Davenport.
July 26, 2005... Byline: Jennifer Starks STANFORD, Calif. _ Lindsay Davenport has to wonder why she ever brought it up in the first place. The mere idea of Davenport putting away her tennis racket and going quietly into the land of retirement seems...

Ben Franklin's 300th birthday bash takes off this year.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Anne Chalfant You might say Ben Franklin was the Big Daddy of Founding Fathers. His 300th birthday is January 17, 2006 _ but already the man is being feted around the nation and world. Founding Father, internationally...

Supervisors eye ways to curb PACs.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Peter Felsenfeld Jul. 25--Like engineers trying to dam a tenacious river, Contra Costa leaders are toiling to stem the seemingly inevitable flow of money into local elections. Ironically, their answer may be to ease or end...

Macha deserves pat on the back.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Neil Hayes OAKLAND, Calif. _ Several players were studying more tape in the video room. Pitching coach Curt Young was meeting with manager Ken Macha in Macha's office. Eric Chavez sat on the floor near the tunnel leading to the...

There's no cooling off hot A's.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick OAKLAND, Calif. _ You remember May 29, don't you? The Oakland A's were in the midst of being swept by the Cleveland Indians, completing a miserable 0-6 trip that began in Tampa, dropping them to 17-32. It...