Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) articles from November 2007

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) archives from November 2007

Outlook is bright for ACT's classic 'Rainmaker'.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Pat Craig Nov. 1--Pa Curry fiddles around the stove, banging pots and pans, like he was auditioning to be a one-man band. Smoke pours from the burners as he starts breakfast for his two boys, Noah and Jim. Then the whole place...

Man to receive new trial after murder conviction: SAN PALO: Judge rules that two key witnesses in original case not sufficiently credible.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Bruce Gerstman Nov. 1--In a rare decision, a Superior Court judge has set aside a verdict and granted a new trial for a man convicted last year of murder. A jury convicted 44-year-old Julius Evans in October 2006 of...

Two youths shot in Concord neighborhood.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Scott Marshall Nov. 1--Two young people were wounded in a driveby shooting tonight in a Concord neighborhood filled with trick-o-treaters. Police and firefighters responding to reports of gunfire rushed to the intersection of...

BRIEF: Two youths shot in Concord neighborhood.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Scott Marshall Nov. 1--Two young people were shot Wednesday night in a neighborhood filled with trick-o-treaters. Police and firefighters responding to reports of gunfire rushed to the intersection of Laguna and Ellis streets...

Obama wins raves from local viewers: Illinois senator was the favorite as Diablo Valley Democratic Club gathered to watch presidential debate.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Lisa Vorderbrueggen Nov. 1--CONCORD -- The roughly 20 Democrats who gathered around a big-screen TV at AJ's Sports Pub to watch the presidential candidates debate this week didn't need no stinkin' political pundits to tell them the...

Earthquake insurers expect calls, but few new policies.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Eve Mitchell Nov. 1--The moderate temblor that shook up the Bay Area on Tuesday night has people wondering about earthquake insurance. Should they get it or just take their chances and hope the Big One never destroys their home?...

Panel ranks Castro facility as best middle school spot: EL CERRITO: West Contra Costa committee says site is best for Portola.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Kimberly S. Wetzel Nov. 1--Castro Elementary School wins. Or loses, depending on how one looks at it. A West Contra Costa school district committee charged with recommending where to relocate El Cerrito's Portola Middle School...

Economic forum shows development on fast track: DANVILLE: New Danville Hotel in the mix of projects.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Lea Blevins Nov. 1--Economic development is keeping Danville busy these days and will continue to do so in the coming years, according to business and civic luminaries this week at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon on the "Future of...

Young ghosts, goblins get candy via twist on Halloween tradition: Sunol, Concord and Martinez offer alternative to children traversing the streets with 'trunk-or-treat' events.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Meera Pal Nov. 1--They do things a little differently in Sunol. Instead of going from house to house on Halloween, children gather at the local school and go from car to car, calling out "Trunk or Treat." Community members...

San Ramon Senior Center a hot spot: Expansion work ahead of schedule.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Jeanine Benca Nov. 1--SAN RAMON -- The ongoing expansion and renovation of the San Ramon Senior Center is on track to be completed two months ahead of schedule, city officials said this week. The $5 million overhaul of the...

Native plant maven wins conservation award.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Chris Treadway Nov. 1--SAN PABLO -- Kathy Kramer will rub elbows with some high-profile company today because of an idea that took root just outside the door of her San Pablo home. Kramer, who started the "Bringing Back the...

Chemical scare evacuates campus: ANTIOCH: Police suspect odd odor at high school that sent 22 students to hospitals was a Halloween prank.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Simon Read Nov. 1--Sophomore Andrew Vanmeter had just left his chemistry class and was walking to his locker in the 900 wing of Antioch High School when he noticed something strange. "People in the hallway around me were...

Season is on brink for 3-5 Texans: They had high hopes at the start of the year but are now just one victory better than the Raiders.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Steve Corkran Nov. 1--ALAMEDA -- Entering this season, the Houston Texans believed they finally were on the verge of emerging from their infancy as an NFL franchise. Defensive end Mario Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NFL...

Pan turns back second seed: The top-seeded Albany player defeats Biascan for the BSAL girls tennis title.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Mike McGreehan Nov. 1--The most-anticipated sports matchup of any kind is that of a top seed playing a second seed for a championship. Such a scenario occurred Wednesday afternoon at the Harbor Bay Club when top-seeded Elena Pan of...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Gary Bogue column: Let us know if your pet 'predicts' earthquakes.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Gary Bogue Nov. 1--Everybody's rocking and rolling! Dear Gary: Tuesday night a few minutes before 8 p.m. our two yellow Labs, 10-year-old Sadie and 11/2-year-old M-uh (Emma), started acting strange. Usually at that time...

Marco Belinelli.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Geoff Lepper Nov. 1--OAKLAND -- As someone who jumped directly from high school stardom to the Indiana Pacers, via the 25th pick in the 1998 draft, Warriors forward Al Harrington knows intimately the degree of difficulty involved...

Max Zhang.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Jeff Faraudo Nov. 1--Zhaoxu "Max" Zhang's hometown in northeastern China is Yantai City, which he casually refers to as a "middle-size city." Translation: A population of 6.5 million. "The biggest difference is there's not...

Cal makes quick statement: Grizzlies boys water polo team jumps out to a 4-0 lead after one period en route to a 14-4 rout of Tamalpais.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Bill Kruissink Nov. 1--The California High School boys water polo team played its North Coast Section first-round match as if it had something to prove. And if what the Grizzlies did to No. 18 Tamalpais-Mill Valley (14-10) is...

Broncos overcome slow start: Northgate, behind Sam Trenkwalder's eight goals, rallies from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Ukiah 10-4.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Bill Kruissink Nov. 1--By Bill Kruissink STAFF WRITER Looking back, its hard to image how the Ukiah High School girls water polo team was ever able to build a 3-1 lead over Northgate. So maybe the Broncos' slow start...

Fleming's: Save yourself for the steak.(Restaurant review)
November 1, 2007... Byline: Nicholas Boer Nov. 1--A steak on a plate is like a cup of joe. One taste is all it takes. My first bite, hot on the tongue, passed every test. My last, in Fleming's posh bar, was scraped from the bone. Finishing a 22-ounce...

Patrick Mills.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Jennifer Starks Nov. 1--MORAGA -- He's been called the future of Australian basketball, blessed with a face so familiar that international airports aren't always the best place for anonymity. Yet as Patrick Mills continues to...

Man shot outside courthouse: Police arrest one; victim in hospital.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Matthias Gafni Nov. 1--PITTSBURG -- A heated fight between two groups at an arraignment in a Delta Superior Court room Wednesday morning spilled out into a nearby park, where a man was shot and critically wounded. Hours after...

Boy, 17, arrested in slaying after fight: RICHMOND: Teen is related to one of the women involved in a scuffle Sunday; victim was boyfriend of other woman.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Karl Fischer Nov. 1--A relative of a woman involved in a fistfight during the weekend gunned down her rival's boyfriend afterward, Richmond police said Wednesday after taking the 17-year-old suspect to jail. Detectives say...

Concord gives police officers 6% pay raise: New contract will add up to a 21.5% raise over a four-year period.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Tanya Rose Nov. 1--City leaders on Tuesday approved raises for Concord's 146 police officers and sergeants, increasing salaries by 6 percent retroactive to July. The contract also calls for a 5.5 percent raise in fiscal year...

Nonprofit hospitals face fight for tax-exempt status: Iowa senator says he might seek stricter rules if medical centers do not allow increased oversight on charity care.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Sandy Kleffman Nov. 1--A U.S. senator has warned that if some nonprofit hospitals continue to oppose greater transparency in the community benefits they provide, he may seek stricter requirements on such institutions. "While...

Odds low that quake was a foreshock: U.S. Geological Survey scientists put chance of Big One hitting in the next week at 5 percent to 10 percent.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Betsy Mason Nov. 1--The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck the Calaveras fault near Alum Rock on Tuesday night was the Bay Area's largest quake since the magnitude 7.1 Loma Prieta quake in 1989 and has seismologists talking about...

Ban on new cell towers extended: RICHMOND: City will not put up new antennas for 41/2 months after residents complain.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Katherine Tam Nov. 1--No new cell towers or antennas will be approved in Richmond for at least another 41/2 months. City leaders have extended the moratorium on new wireless communications equipment until March 18 while they...

Home Depot project gets final hearing: PLEASANTON: City has updated information about traffic and use effects of proposed shopping center.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Meera Pal Nov. 1--The final public forum for discussion of potential effects of Pleasanton's second Home Depot store will be held tonight to share updated information with concerned residents. The forum is a continuation of an...

College cost perturbs residents, poll finds: More than 80 percent of Californians surveyed say affordability of higher education is a problem and could harm economy.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Matt Krupnick Nov. 1--Californians are more worried than ever about rising college costs, according to a statewide survey. The poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California revealed widespread concern...