Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) articles from March 2006

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) archives from March 2006

Decision on study delayed by city: RICHMOND: Council keeps hearings open, to rule in month on survey of toxic waterfront slated for luxury condos.
March 10, 2006... Byline: John Geluardi Mar. 10--The Richmond City Council has put off approval of a controversial environmental impact report that would clear the way for construction of 269 residential units on a toxic waterfront site. During a public...

I-680 office market gaining tenants: Boosted by regional economy, companies have inked deals on more than 100,000 square feet recently.
March 10, 2006... Byline: James Temple Mar. 10--The Interstate 680 corridor office market is starting to heat up. Companies have signed more than 100,000 square feet of new leases and expansions within the past few months, many that were several times...

Memorial service held for Pinole Marine, 19: Longtime Pinole resident Michael Forrester died in a car accident in Southern California.(Obituary)
March 10, 2006... Byline: Chris Treadway Mar. 10--A memorial service was held Thursday for Michael Vern Forrester, a longtime Pinole resident who died Feb. 26 in Twentynine Palms, where he was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Forrester was a 2004...

City re-examines spot where girl was hit.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Scott Marshall Mar. 10--Studies showed that a stop sign was not needed at the San Ramon intersection where a 12-year-old bicyclist was struck and seriously injured last month, the city's transportation director said Thursday. ...

Poll prioritizes community's needs: DISCOVERY BAY: Online resident survey shows landscaping, better sheriff's protection top list.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Tanya Rose Mar. 10--Discovery Bay residents who took the town's first-ever online satisfaction survey said they want to see major landscaping improvements, but they do not want to see the community borrow money to pay for it. ...

City puts a face on community center: DUBLIN: Council decides that building will be constructed in a mission style; updated design expected in June.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Sophia Kazmi Mar. 10--Although Dublin's new community center along San Ramon Road will still be called Shannon, it will be constructed in a mission, not Irish, style. The City Council approved this week the design for a new...

Raiders pursuing Culpepper: Oakland takes lead in chase for disgruntled Vikings quarterback.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Steve Corkran Mar. 10--It was around this time last year that the Minnesota Vikings tired of star player Randy Moss, contacted the Raiders and worked out a trade in advance of free agency, to the surprise of many. The two parties...

Judge dismisses juror, halts trial due to Polk's flu: ORINDA: After cross-examining son, defendant asks for postponement.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Bruce Gerstman Mar. 10--A judge postponed the murder trial of Susan Polk after Polk said she was ill Thursday, a day after she spent several hours cross-examining her son who testified against her. "I have a flu," Polk told...

Berkeley again wins row with Sea Scouts: State's high court rules city legally took subsidy away from group because of Boy Scouts affiliation, possible discrimination.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Craig Lazzeretti and Martin Snapp Mar. 10--The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the city of Berkeley acted legally when it stripped the Berkeley Sea Scouts of their free berthing privileges at the marina. The...

Post-9/11 America motivates filmmaker: SAN JOSE: 'The Gold Bracelet' relays real events, crimes against Sikhs after terror attacks.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Tom Lochner Mar. 10--On Sept. 15, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a former Walnut Creek resident and member of the Sikh temple of El Sobrante, was shot to death in front of the gas station he owned in Mesa, Ariz. His alleged killer...

Deer Valley graduate is battling leukemia: ANTIOCH: No donor has yet been found with all six genetic factors needed to maximize the chances of a successful transplant.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Rowena Coetsee Mar. 10--ANTIOCH -- A former Antioch high school student fighting leukemia is the focus of a concerted effort this weekend to find the person who holds the key to his recovery. Friends of Josh Hopwood are...

Melhuse hopes his time will come with A's: Even though Kendall is entrenched behind the plate, the backup catcher still wants to contribute.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Rick Hurd Mar. 10--PHOENIX -- He's not asking for much. A starting job? Hardly. Adam Melhuse seems to recognize the absurdity of such a request. The man in front of him will earn $11 million this season, and not even the New...

Playoffs? All Warriors want is to win a game: Team sets modest goal after once-promising season is reduced to rubble.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Marcus Thompson II Mar. 10--MIAMI -- All of the explanations have been exhausted. All the talk about playoffs has been silenced. All the confidence has been stripped. As a result, the Warriors locker room seems to be held...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Gary Peterson column: New quarterback to float fans' boat.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Gary Peterson Mar. 10--In an audio poll taken at the final few Raiders home games last season (boo once for yes; chant #&@!-%?*! for no), a large segment of the team's fan base indicated a desire to see quarterback Kerry Collins...

FEMA puts word out about flood insurance.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Clanci Cochran Mar. 10--FEMA is reminding at-risk Northern Californians about its affordable flood insurance. "What people don't realize is that their homeowner's policy does not cover flood insurance," said John Treanor,...

Powe in control; Cal wins going away: Braun 'believes we've earned a spot' in NCAAs after Pac-10 tourney win.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Jonathan Okanes Mar. 10--LOS ANGELES -- With a berth in the NCAA Tournament possibly on the line and Cal trailing by two at halftime, the Bears did things Thursday night they've sometimes struggled to do in the past. They...

Grappling into history: Fighters take ring in state's first sanctioned bout.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Jay Heater Mar. 10--The sport that began as a whisper will make some noise tonight at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. For years, top martial artists have fought each other in small dojos around California, providing more reality...

Residents join less-is-more group: ALAMEDA: People here, like hundreds of others worldwide, are fighting consumerism via The Compact online.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Kara Andrade Mar. 10--It's a Friday morning and while most people are sitting in traffic, Sandy Clark, writer and stay-at-home dad in Alameda, has just picked up someone he's only met online. "It was like I was picking up a...

Hayward fault tours available online: EAST BAY: Geological Survey combines research with Google Earth technology to educate viewers.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Betsy Mason Mar. 10--How close is your house to the fault geologists have deemed most likely to unleash a large Bay Area earthquake in the coming decades? Now you can answer this question to within a few meters on your own...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Eric Gilmore column: Bears hope win proves they belong.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Eric Gilmore Mar. 10--LOS ANGELES ARE THEY IN or are they out of the NCAA Tournament? That was the only important question for the Cal Bears entering the Pac-10 tournament. I think we got our answer -- a definite yes,...

Panel allows coke dust to go unstored: PITTSBURG: State water quality board asks staff members to work with Tesoro to reach a solution on the issue.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Laurie Phillips Mar. 9--In a move that disappointed Pittsburg city leaders, the state Regional Water Quality Control Board on Wednesday acknowledged that Tesoro Corp. was not adequately containing petroleum coke dust at its...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Nicholas Boer column: Moraga market offers top grade.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Nicholas Boer Mar. 9--TRAVIS POTTER figures he can do just fine with a small, loyal clientele. To win you over, he'll replicate that rabbit sausage your grandpa used to make. He'll hand-cut you a USDA prime organic New York steak...

Coroner IDs I-680 tow truck driver.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Cassandra Braun Mar. 9--CONCORD -- The Contra Costa Coroner's Office has identified the man struck by a car and killed while assisting another motorist on Interstate 680 as Jody Ehling, 42, of Concord. The collision occurred...

Concord driver arrested after rollover crash.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Kelli Phillips and Cassandra Braun Mar. 9--CONCORD -- A 54-year-old Concord man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after his truck rolled four or five times across Highway 4, the Highway Patrol said Thursday. David...

Not guilty plea in Lafayette woman's slaying.
March 9, 2006... Byline: John Simerman Mar. 9--WALNUT CREEK -- A Missouri traveling magazine salesman pleaded not guilty Thursday to the murder of a 90-year-old Lafayette woman who was raped, smothered and left bound and tied to her bed in December. ...

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION GAINS ALLIES: 21 percent jump since '94 in Californians who favor practice, poll says.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Nathaniel Hoffman Mar. 9--Waiting for a burger Wednesday near Concord's day labor center, where many unauthorized workers seek jobs, Mina Metropoulos considered America's newest immigrant population. Metropoulos, whose family...

Locked-out Eden workers sign contract: CASTRO VALLEY: Eden Medical Center's unionized employees sign 2-year contract.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Sophia Kazmi Mar. 9--After a week-long strike and a two-day lockout, some 300 union members ratified a new two-year contract with Eden Medical Center on Wednesday. The workers -- vocational nurses, food service workers,...

Council delays rental housing vote: PINOLE: Proposed ordinance calls for units to be inspected every 3 years.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Tom Lochner Mar. 9--PINOLE -- The Pinole City Council on Tuesday postponed to a future meeting a vote on a rental housing inspection ordinance after council members said it should specify how often run-down units are inspected...

Contents of home dumped in yard: ANTIOCH: Renter apparently had been hoarding items in house, then emptied it before moving out.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Danielle McNamara Mar. 9--It looked like the garage sale from hell. Mealworms squirmed through an 8-pound jar full of melted, faded M&Ms. Decades of old canned food, six pairs of handcuffs, five-gallon buckets filled with...

Marine, 19, to be remembered today: Service will be held for longtime Pinole resident Michael Forrester, who died in a car accident in Southern California.(Obituary)
March 9, 2006... Byline: Chris Treadway Mar. 9--A memorial service will be held today for Michael Vern Forrester, a longtime Pinole resident who died Feb. 26 in Twentynine Palms, where he was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Forrester was a 2004...

Son details threats to Felix Polk: 19-year-old cross-examined by his mother, who is acting as her own defense attorney in murder trial.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Bruce Gerstman Mar. 9--ORINDA -- As she stood to question the prosecution witness, the woman acting as her own defense attorney removed her glasses, wept briefly and then began asking questions in a voice that cracked with...

Schools will ask voters again for bond measure: BYRON: June ballot issue would help three campuses in need of technology upgrades and modernization.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Paula King Mar. 9--Byron educators are hoping the fifth time is the charm in getting a school bond measure approved in their growing community. Residents in Discovery Bay and Byron will vote on a $19.7 million bond measure on...

C&H Sugar Co. celebrates century: One-time employment anchor for area to sound whistle marking exact time production began.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Tom Lochner Mar. 9--On Friday, at exactly 10:25 a.m., the whistle will blow at the C&H Sugar plant, marking 100 years of sugar refining in Crockett. "That's the time it started, 100 years ago, March 10, 1906," said Keith...

City fights gangs with education: LIVERMORE: About 70 attend meeting on how to identify gang activity, keep youths out of trouble.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Sophia Kazmi Mar. 9--A new five-member gang task force has been formed by Livermore police. Already operating for a month, the temporary task force is working to quell gang activity before it becomes a problem in the city....

Report on casino details positives: Draft environmental study says proposed Las Vegas-style gambling hall in North Richmond would bring jobs.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Tom Lochner Mar. 9--A draft environmental report on a proposed Indian casino in unincorporated North Richmond is available for review. The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians seeks to develop a Las Vegas-style casino complex...

Family's birds, business soar: ANTIOCH: Secret Garden Exotic Birds has been source of reference, dealer of various breeds for nearly six years.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Tanya Rose Mar. 9--Passers-by can hear the birds squawking and prattling on all the way over by Pueblo Nuevo Mexican restaurant. Curious, many walk a little farther down the sidewalk to see where the noise is coming from. ...

Another galling loss puts Warriors closer to lottery: They collapse at the finish against the lowly Bobcats, fall to 0-3 on trip.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Marcus Thompson II Mar. 9--CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Gonzaga star Adam Morrison would look good in blue and orange. Maybe, if Texas power forward LaMarcus Aldridge comes out, he'll be available when the Warriors pick in the draft....

Bears don't want to leave any doubt for the NCAA: Cal knows it can control its own destiny by winning Pac-10 tourney.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Jonathan Okanes Mar. 9--BERKELEY -- Most of the recent discourse regarding Cal has focused on tonight's game against USC in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. Do the Bears need to beat the Trojans to make the NCAA...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Pat Craig column: Classic 'Streetcar' rolls into DVC theater.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Pat Craig Mar. 9--THE ANGST, trauma and drama of pre-hurricane New Orleans flies from characters in "A Streetcar Named Desire." The Tennessee Williams script that put the name Stella, loudly, on many lips, opens March 17 at...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Eric Gilmore column: Musings: Bonds' innocence, pigs flying, O Canada.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Eric Gilmore Mar. 9--QUICK HITS while we try to warm up to the World Baseball Classic and wrap our minds around Barry Bonds' alleged use of designer steroids, female fertility drugs, human growth hormones, testosterone, insulin,...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Tony Hicks column: Slick stuff: Kid-friendly ice show quite a find.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Tony Hicks Mar. 9--I'M HOPING freak dancing's ominous march toward stripping society of all decency hasn't yet spread to ice shows. The last thing I, or anyone else, needs to see is Nemo the fish behaving inappropriately toward...

Winter wonderland for East Bay?
March 9, 2006... Byline: George Kelly Mar. 9--Chilly and showery conditions through this weekend could bring snow and ice to lower elevations as soon as tomorrow, the National Weather Service said. Forecaster Steve Anderson pinned the blame on a...

Benicia Bridge clear after crashes.
March 9, 2006... Byline: George Kelly Mar. 9--Authorities advise alternate routes for commuters after two vehicle crashes on southbound Interstate 680 just north of Marina Vista Road briefly blocked up to three lanes and injured at least one person, the...

Tracks reopen after BART fire in S.F.
March 9, 2006... Byline: George Kelly Mar. 9--A fire has been extinguished in BART's Embarcadero station this morning, and limited service has been restored to two eastbound tunnels, BART public information officer Jim Allison said. As of 11:15 a.m.,...

Livermore stunt course gets approval, but rest rooms flushed.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Bonita Brewer Mar. 9--LIVERMORE -- It was thumbs up this week to a bicycle stunt course at Livermore's Sunken Gardens Park, but thumbs down to placing rest rooms at a neighborhood park elsewhere in town. The Livermore Area...

Polk's illness delays trial until Monday.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Bruce Gerstman Mar. 9--MARTINEZ -- A judge postponed trial Thursday for murder defendant Susan Polk after Polk said she was ill. "I have a flu," Polk told Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Laurel Brady before the jury entered...

Arrest in tow truck driver's death.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Kelli Phillips and Cassandra Braun Mar. 9--CONCORD -- A 55-year-old Benicia man has been arrested after the Highway Patrol says he struck and killed a tow truck driver on Interstate 680 while driving under the influence. ...

Panel limits building on golf courses: SAN RAMON: Plan to change designations from parks to commercial recreation remains.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Scott Marshall Mar. 9--The San Ramon Planning Commission decided Tuesday to add new restrictions for possible development of the city's two golf courses, but left intact a proposal to change the courses' land-use designation from...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Neil Hayes column: Giants, baseball also to blame.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Neil Hayes Mar. 9--They staple gunned Barry Bonds to the wall from every conceivable angle. That was the first reaction after reading the Sports Illustrated excerpt from the forthcoming book documenting Bonds' long history of...

Endangered status sought for smelt: Environmentalists say the population of the tiny fish found in the Delta has dropped 97 percent since 1993.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Mike Taugher Mar. 9--Delta smelt are rapidly going extinct and should immediately be listed as an endangered species, environmentalists said in documents filed Wednesday. The tiny fish, widely considered a barometer of the...

Blazing new trails challenges Kovar to go farther.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Ann Tatko-Peterson Mar. 9--Blazing heat blanketed the Jordanian desert. Men on camels sat along the roadside, dispensing water. Sharon Kovar ran alone, having broken from a pack of South African runners. She was on her own,...

Livermore police create gang task force.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Sophia Kazmi Mar. 8--LIVERMORE -- A new five-member gang task force has been formed by Livermore police. Already operating for a month, the temporary task force is working to quell gang activity before it becomes a problem in...

Polk cross-examines son at her murder trial.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Bruce Gerstman Mar. 8--As she stood to question the prosecution witness, the woman acting as her own defense attorney removed her glasses, wept briefly and then began asking questions in a voice that cracked with emotion. ...

Long-sleeve dresses, ban on `freak dancing' sell out Mormon prom.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Linda Davis WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ The dresses will be at least below the knee. The boys will use proper etiquette. The music will have no swear words or sexual innuendo, and the dancing will strictly be vertical. After all...

Wastewater plants nearly complete.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Rowena Coetsee Mar. 8--Construction of Rio Vista's new wastewater treatment plant is nearing completion, with most of the work scheduled to be done in the next three months. Work on the facility began in December 2004, and...

Site promotes itself as safe alternative for youths: Emeryville-based Industrious Kid says it offers a choice besides popular Facebook and MySpace.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Blanca Torres Mar. 8--An Emeryville startup is planning to launch a Web site for children younger than 14 that aims to be a safe and entertaining alternative to social networking sites such as the Facebook or MySpace. The...

Polk's rage peaked, says prosecutor.
March 8, 2006... Byline: ORINDA: Acting as own lawyer, woman weeps in court, interrupts with objections; youngest son will testify todayBy Bruce Gerstman Mar. 8--Susan Polk's anger began at 15 when she began seeing a therapist, who later became her...

Program for wounded veterans expands: DANVILLE: Sentinels lay foundation for new life for Army sergeant, who lost both legs and an arm.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Scott Marshall Mar. 8--The group that gave Manuel Mendoza Valencia a new start in life in San Ramon is rolling out its program on a wider scale for other wounded veterans of the war in Iraq; Danville will become the second town...

Urban limit line not yet on June ballot.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Kiley Russell Mar. 8--Contra Costa County voters don't get to decide in June where to stop development. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously postponed placing a growth control boundary on a countywide ballot,...

Discovery Bay residents say more patrols needed.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Danielle McNamara Mar. 8--Discovery Bay residents want more sheriff's deputy patrols to quell their concerns about burglary, theft, loitering youths and drug sales. Results of a survey sent to all 4,068 households in the...

Forum puts focus on crime: RICHMOND: Residents will meet with officials, discuss solutions.
March 8, 2006... Byline: John Geluardi Mar. 8--Richmond's Iron Triangle residents are fed up with crime on their streets and on Thursday, they will tell city officials all about it. City Manager Bill Lindsay, Police Chief Chris Magnus and Councilman...

City faces $5,000 fine over political mailer: EL CERRITO: State could levy fine for use of mayor's signature.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Alan Lopez Mar. 8--A recent El Cerrito mailer featuring the mayor's signature could cost the city $5,000 in fines from a state commission. The California Fair Political Practices Commission prohibits signatures of elected...

Hospital locks out workers on strike: CASTRO VALLEY: Eden Medical Center says the union employees can return to work after their contract is settled.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Sophia Kazmi Mar. 8--Eden Medical Center followed through Tuesday on its pledge to lock out workers who went on strike last week. Employees aware of the lockout threat late Monday, still attempted to report for work at the...

EDITORIAL: Method worth trying.(Editorial)
March 8, 2006... Mar. 8--W E ARE AT ONCE ENCOURAGED and skeptical about the latest attempt to salve the bitter relations that exist between the administration of the Contra Costa Community College District and its faculty. The three-college district and its...

Council debates terms for executive managers: SAN PABLO: Officials OK employment provisions for 19 positions, refuse to alter top leaders' until further discussion.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Tom Lochner Mar. 8--The San Pablo City Council balked at approving employment terms for executive managers -- the police chief and the directors of community services, finance and public works -- after Councilwoman Sharon Brown...

Reservoir to stock pond to lure fishers: EAST BAY: 5,000 pounds of trout will be planted into Los Vaqueros' South Cove.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Clanci Cochran Mar. 8--The largest trout release ever at the Los Vaqueros Reservoir and watershed should make fishers feel lucky this St. Patrick's Day. Some 5,000 pounds of trout will slip into the reservoir's South Cove...

Public to meet schools chief: DUBLIN: New hire replaces Sugiyama, who will retire at the end of this school year after 10 years with the district.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Eric Louie Mar. 8--The Dublin school district will hold a reception for the public to meet the new superintendent. The reception to meet Stephen Hanke will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 23 at the Radison Hotel,...

Oakland residents implore city to beef up police force.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Guy Ashley Mar. 8--OAKLAND -- Scores of angry residents rallied at City Hall on Tuesday night to demand immediate action to bolster a depleted police force and seize the momentum from criminals who seem to have gained the upper...

EDITORIAL: Puckett's sad demise.(Editorial)
March 8, 2006... Mar. 8--H ALL OF FAME baseball player Kirby Puckett died Monday at the far-too-young age of 45 from a massive stroke. He had no obvious connection to the Bay Area, except to the baseball fans who loved to watch him play. And there were many...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Chuck Barney column: Black and white television.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Chuck Barney Mar. 8--Is there no limit to the transformational powers of reality TV? Over the years, we've watched the genre change ugly ducklings into swans, trade spaces, swap wives, pimp our rides and create from scratch...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Gary Peterson column: Giants management is only group that can act.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Gary Peterson Mar. 8--At this point, there is little left to wonder about Barry Bonds. Only the hopelessly naive could believe he didn't fuel his late-career power surge with the aid of performance-enhancing agents. Only the...

Delta pumping process may spur lawsuit Group threatens to sue over Delta pumps: At issue is whether State Water Project complies with the Endangered Species Act.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Mike Taugher Mar. 8--California's largest water delivery system lacks the most basic permits required by the state's endangered species protection law, an association of anglers charged Tuesday in a formal lawsuit threat. ...

Tough task ahead for bottom seeds: But the teams in the play-in games have had success against some of the higher seeds.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Jonathan Okanes Mar. 8--The coaches of the bottom four teams in the Pac-10 are happy their players will get to experience the conference tournament this season. They'd better like the atmosphere at Staples Center in Los Angeles,...

Concord to get free wireless Internet: Pilot project will cover downtown area, then city may become first in East Bay to offer service to all residents.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Ryan Huff Mar. 8--In a few months, you'll be able to sprawl out with a laptop on the Todos Santos Plaza lawn and surf the Internet for free. In fact, you'll be able to access wireless Internet just about anywhere in a square-mile...

Baby tests positive for drugs: EL CERRITO: 10-month-old expected to survive after amphetamine is traced; police have no suspects.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Karl Fischer Mar. 8--Emergency room workers phoned El Cerrito police Tuesday morning after discovering that a wildly agitated, 10-month-old patient might have ingested methamphetamine. Authorities transferred the boy from...

Warriors falter down the stretch: Golden State misses 11 of its first 12 shots in the fourth quarter in loss to Hawks.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Marcus Thompson II Mar. 8--ATLANTA -- Most NBA games are won in the fourth quarter. That's when teams -- especially the good ones -- turn it up a notch. That's when players -- especially the good ones -- hike up their shorts,...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Neil Hayes column: Only question left is how the baseball world reacts.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Neil Hayes Mar. 8--Nobody can say they don't know if Barry Bonds has used steroids. They can't even say they don't want to know. Not now. Not in the face of the evidence that has surfaced about Bonds' long history of steroid use....

Kids, Dad need one-on-one time.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe Q: My ex and I are getting a divorce. We have two children, 7 and 3, who see their dad every other weekend. He left because he met someone else, and she and her 2-year-old son spend every...

Tesoro may have to cover coke piles Pittsburg, environmental watchdog say the company is not using the 'best available technology' while storing the material.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Laurie Phillips Mar. 7--Tesoro Corp. could learn Wednesday whether the California Regional Water Quality Control Board will require the company to enclose the coke piles at its loading facility in Pittsburg or cease operating...

Arabic dance an embodiment of grace.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Rowena Coetsee Mar. 7--ANTIOCH -- Heads turned as the reedy wail of Arabic music filled the small restaurant and a petite brunette began a sinuous dance around the tables. Arms delicately outstretched, she tapped finger...

Mine law stymies city on quarries: RICHMOND: State says ordinance has been out of compliance for eight years, leaving public safety issues in limbo.
March 7, 2006... Byline: John Geluardi Mar. 7--Two quarries in Richmond are in danger of collapsing, but the city has limited authority to act because its mining ordinance has been defunct for eight years. Frustrated with a lack of action from the...

Raise limit on income, builder asks: CONTRA COSTA: Dougherty Valley needs more business from middle-income renters to ease cash-flow problems.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Rebecca Rosen Lum Mar. 7--Shapell Industries today will ask Contra Costa supervisors to allow people whose incomes top $100,000 to qualify for the 5,170-unit rental portion of its Dougherty Valley development. The homebuilder,...

Judge finds UC unfairly raised fees.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Matt Krupnick Mar. 7--A San Francisco judge has ordered the University of California to pay $33.8 million to tens of thousands of students whose fees were unfairly raised. In an opinion released Monday, Superior Court Judge...

Councilwoman to run for mayor: RICHMOND: McLaughlin, a Green Party member, says she'll strive for a new city without business interests.
March 7, 2006... Byline: John Geluardi Mar. 7--Richmond Councilwoman Gayle McLaughlin, the city's only elected Green Party member, has declared her candidacy for mayor as the coming political season begins to take shape. McLaughlin made her...