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

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

Concord florist's fortunes bloom with four-shop deal.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Chris Metinko Section: Business Edition: Final Page: c01 Photo 1, JORY'S FLOWERS shop employee Audrey Watson picks up flowers for delivery Monday in Concord. Jory's owner Don Hotton now owns shops in Concord,...

With Warriors, look past win-loss mark.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Neil Hayes REFRESHING AS IT would be to predict that the Warriors will compete for the final playoff spot in the West, it's wise to avoid such pronouncements here in the land of worst-case scenarios. If the Warriors have...

Injury could cost Igber shot at Cal rushing record.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Jay Heater BERKELEY_Although he was going about it quietly, Cal tailback Joe Igber would have had a decent chance to become the team's all-time leading rusher if he had stayed healthy. Igber, who broke his right collarbone...

Mirer returns as 49er backup.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman SANTA CLARA_Veteran quarterback Rick Mirer rejoined the 49ers on Wednesday, nearly two months after the club waived him primarily because of salary-cap reasons. So what's he been doing during the 49ers' 4-2 start?...

Owens puts blame for loss on coaches.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman SANTA CLARA_Wide receiver Terrell Owens made a passionate plea Wednesday for the 49ers coaches to crank up their scoring machine and build, rather than sit, on leads. Still stung by the 49ers' inability to hold a...

Broncos' blocking concerns Raiders.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Steve Corkran ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Here we go again. What's a Raiders-Broncos game without the subject of the blocking techniques preferred by the Broncos offensive linemen surfacing? Denver guard Dan Neil's controversial block...

Raiders brimming with confidence.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Steve Corkran ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Ladies and gentlemen, let the hype begin for Monday night's game between the Raiders and their rival Denver Broncos. No, this is not going to be a kinder, gentler week of pregame rhetoric. At...

Study questions referrals to specialists.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Judy Silber WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ Under some models of managed care, patients visit health care specialists at roughly the same rate regardless of whether they are first required to receive a referral from a primary care...

No-crust pumpkin pie a more healthy dessert.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Elaine Magee Q: This is a good winter holiday cake, a nice variation on pumpkin pie. I would like to make it for the holidays if you could cut down on the cholesterol and calories. A: This is one of those "dump cake" recipes...

San Francisco Bay-Area Airports Begin Return to Normal.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Lisa Vorderbrueggen Oct. 31--Eight weeks after terrorists drove the airline industry into a tailspin, Bay Area airports show signs of recovery. Passenger counts at Oakland International Airport have returned to pre-Sept. 11...

Livermore, Calif., Laboratory Develops New Test for Salmonella.
October 31, 2001... Oct. 31--Lawrence Livermore Laboratory scientists have taken a new look at salmonella, the insidious bacteria that sickens hundreds of egg eaters every year, and found a way to detect the disease much more quickly. By tracking down the...

California Floral Businessman Buys Back Part-Ownership of Shops.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Chris Metinko Oct. 31--Don Hotton reacted like many business owners in the late-1990s might have when approached by a start-up funded by high-profile executives with an impressive track record. He sold what he had for cash...

Halloween Sales Slow in Walnut Creek, Calif., Area As Attacks Dampen Interest.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Janet Adamy Oct. 31--For Halloweens past, Patty Jenab has bought candles and decorations to hang on her door. But this year, the Danville mortgage broker just picked up a couple of pumpkins and some fake hair for her costume....

Jamison expected to carry the load.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Matt Steinmetz OAKLAND _ The negativity inside the Warriors' locker room last Friday night at Staples Center was palpable. The Warriors had just finished their preseason with a 97-90 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, their fourth...

Warriors get undermanned Blazers_twice.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Matt Steinmetz OAKLAND _ When Warriors coach Dave Cowens calls up his blue-print for success for the 2001-02 season, he says, "We have to win the games we should win and steal a couple of games maybe we shouldn't." That...

Soft schedule works against Brigham Young.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Jay Heater If BYU continues to roll, the argument should begin soon. Should the Cougars be included in a Bowl Championship Series game? First-year coach Gary Crowton has led BYU to an 8-0 record, but the schedule has been...

Raiders keep defenses guessing.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Steve Corkran ALAMEDA, Calif. _ The Raiders used five running backs, five wide receivers and three tight ends against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Rarely did those players line up in the same spot or run the same play on...

Stanford (5-1) reaping benefits of experience.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Okanes STANFORD, Calif. _Look up and down Stanford's starting defense and try to find a player who's not a senior. C'mon, try it. The offense? It doesn't have as many seniors, but there are nine returning starters...

It is quick sledding for pilot/bobsledder Warner.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Ann Tatko After 11 years as a winter athlete and a commercial pilot, Bonny Warner has gotten pretty good at a lot of things_except one. "I don't do bored well," the Discovery Bay resident said with a laugh. Warner has...

Mexico's art mecca: Puerto Vallarta is teeming with culture.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Anne Chalfant Puerto Vallarta is not just about tequila tourism. Like any Mexican resort town, Puerto Vallarta caters to the young and the drinking. Five thousand graduating seniors endorse that here each June. But on...

Breeders' Cup again proves classic for fans.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Chuck Dybdal There's nothing like the Breeders' Cup to fan the flames for racing fans. Even if you guess wrong at the windows, the races are usually so exciting that you almost don't mind when you fail to cash a ticket. ...

Report charges racial profiling in schools.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Kara Shire WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ In classrooms across the nation, one-size-fits-all high school exit exams, excessive security in schools with high minority populations and racist policies are subverting opportunities for...

Quarterly Venture Funds Drop 21 Percent for Walnut Creek, Calif.-Area Firms.
October 30, 2001... Byline: George Avalos Oct. 30--Financing for new privately held companies swooned during the third quarter as investors retreated from funding new companies and focused on firms they have already bankrolled. Both in the East Bay and...

Hughes may have the edge.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Matt Steinmetz OAKLAND, Calif. _ Warriors coach Dave Cowens said he hadn't formally nailed down his second backcourt starter but intimated it would be Larry Hughes. Cowens said Sunday that Bob Sura would be one of the...

No lead safe in Sunday's comebacks.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Samuel Chi Leads, on Sunday, were discarded like seventh-round draft picks. Big leads, no problem. Little time on the clock, no problem. If there's a lead, there's a new and exciting way to blow it. Of the 12 games played on...

Bears fans have the right to be excited after stunning win.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Neil Hayes CHICAGO _ They boarded the train in Fox River Grove, Barrington and Palatine. They wore orange and navy and carried boxes of beer under one arm and the Sunday sports section under the other. They passed barren...

Special teams didn't live up to name against Bears.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Jill R. Dorson SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ After Sunday's 37-31 overtime loss to the Chicago Bears, 49ers coach Steve Mariucci invoked this old adage: "Football is a game of inches." Yards may have been a more appropriate measure....

Raiders start spreading the boos.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Gary Peterson PHILADELPHIA THE RAIDERS WERE hoping to hear something Sunday. Especially those Raiders who used to call this home. "We told all the guys," said linebacker William Thomas, a former Philadelphia Eagle, "we...

Raiders spreading the wealth.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Gary Peterson PHILADELPHIA _ Six games into his career as a Raider, Jerry Rice has one thing figured out. "With this offense," he said Sunday after Oakland's 20-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, "there's going to be a...

Raiders go deep to run.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Steve Corkran PHILADELPHIA _ Lead running back Tyrone Wheatley sat out Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That put the target on Charlie Garner's jersey as the lone rushing threat. The Eagles won't get fooled into...

Grief in New York remains as raw and vivid as day after Sept. 11.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Thomas Peele and John Simerman NEW YORK _ The sun dipped behind the mangled face of a building south of the World Trade Center rubble, drawing a shadow across a hushed crowd of thousands who came Sunday to the spot where their...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Bankruptcies Column.
October 29, 2001... Oct. 29--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., Retirement Planner Column.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Steve Butler Oct. 29--My experience is that the nicest people in the world can rationalize what is in their self-interest. A friend who sits as a judge says he has been amazed at how difficult it is to sift through two sides...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Business Bulletin Column.
October 28, 2001... Oct. 28--MONDAY Experience Unlimited of Pleasant Hill, a no-fee, nonprofit volunteer organization sponsored by California Employment Development Department to help professionals seeking new jobs, holds an orientation meeting, 8:30 a.m....

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Business Listing Column.
October 28, 2001... Oct. 28--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...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Business Leader Profile.
October 28, 2001... Oct. 28--NAME: Robert Glynn Jr. AGE: 58 TITLE: Chairman, chief executive and president COMPANY AND LOCATION: PG&E Corp., San Francisco TYPE OF BUSINESS: Power utilities and natural gas operations in North America, including...

War Stakes High for ChevronTexaco, Bechtel in Central Asia.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Rick Jurgens Oct. 28--Until the Sept. 11 tragedies, most Americans paid little attention to far-off Central Asia, especially after the Soviet Union's 1989 evacuation from Afghanistan ended one of the last battles of the Cold War....

Those who witnessed civil rights battles know pitfalls of profiling.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Thomas Peele and John Simerman SELMA, Ala. _ The photographs that line the walls of a front room at the National Voting Rights Museum show Martin Luther King Jr. leading marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge and into a cadre of...

Cowens says Sura will start at guard.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Matt Steinmetz OAKLAND_Bob Sura is in, Mookie Blaylock is out and Larry Hughes and Jason Richardson remain on the fence. Warriors coach Dave Cowens said Sura will be in the starting lineup when the Warriors open the regular...

Shocked 49ers lose to Bears in overtime.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman CHICAGO _ Outside the 49ers locker room stood team owner Denise DeBartolo York, wearing a dazed look on her face. "We're in shock," she said. "We're in shock." Who wasn't? Inside the 49ers locker room,...

Garcia injury may have slowed down 49ers' offense.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Neil Hayes CHICAGO_Jeff Garcia was asked if Sunday's 37-31 overtime loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field was any more painful because the 49ers held a 19-point lead in the third quarter. "We were up 19?" the 49ers...

Injuries only secondary problem in 49ers' loss.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman CHICAGO_Losing cornerbacks Jason Webster and Anthony Parker to injury certainly didn't help the 49ers' cause in the closing minutes of Sunday's 37-31 overtime defeat to the Chicago Bears. Bears backup quarterback...

There's no excuse for how 49ers let this one get away.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Neil Hayes CHICAGO DICK JAURON WAS almost apologetic when he met Steve Mariucci at midfield. The Bears coach shrugged his shoulders and mouthed one word over the thundering din. "Unbelievable." It's the most...

Owens working to build relationships.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Outsiders might consider 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens aloof, uncivil or unapproachable. But Owens said it's all a misunderstanding, that those critics don't really know him or the attempts...

Raiders toot horn after hammering Eagles.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Steve Corkran PHILADELPHIA _ Dear Mr. Jon Gruden, please return the playbook you took with you when you left as offensive coordinator after the 1997 season. The East Coast version of the West Coast Offense is as effective as a...

Sharks shackle Blue Jackets with their power play.
October 28, 2001... Byline: Ann Tatko SAN JOSE_The Sharks aren't even close to being among the league's best on the power play. But you don't have to be among the best when you're going up against one of the worst. Only four teams in the NHL are...

Nation's uncertainty reaches a boil in its capital.
October 27, 2001... Byline: John Simerman and Thomas Peele WASHINGTON _ Police barricades stand where packed school buses once pulled up along the flanks of the Lincoln Memorial. House staff members, barred from their offices while Marines probe for...

What about Jordan's Wizards teammates?
October 27, 2001... Byline: Matt Steinmetz You don't want to flat-out ignore the "Michael Jordan coming out of retirement story," then again you don't want to fall into the over-dramatizers' camp, either. So real quick... Jordan's coming back to play...

Blaylock in a backup role for first time since rookie season.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Matt Steinmetz LOS ANGELES_For the first time since his rookie season in 1989, Mookie Blaylock can't crack his team's starting five. Warriors coach Dave Cowens told Blaylock on Thursday morning he wanted Blaylock, now in his 13th...

Ward makes impact in first full-time gig as receiver.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Jay Heater CORVALLIS, Ore._Despite only one week to prepare for his first game as a full-time offensive player, Cal wide receiver LaShaun Ward made a huge impact in Cal's 19-10 loss at Oregon State on Saturday. Often matched...

Cal gets a bit closer but result is same, another loss.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Jay Heater CORVALLIS, Ore. _ Cal defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich had just watched another Cal defeat _ this one by 19-10 to host Oregon State on Saturday at Reser Stadium _ and he wondered if he should discuss the Bears'...

Another big challenge for Stanford.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Okanes STANFORD, Calif. _ This may sound like a broken record. Every week it seems the Stanford defense enters a game with its focus on stopping a standout running back. But the task at hand today against...

Defense seals deal as Stanford upsets UCLA.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Okanes STANFORD, Calif. _ For a few nervous moments Saturday, it looked as though the Karma Gods were getting ready to slap down some cruel revenge on Stanford. After being the beneficiary of an astonishing amount of...

Friendship takes back seat to record.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman CHICAGO_For 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens, his 20-catch effort last Dec. 17 against the Chicago Bears was unprecedented. For 49ers coach Steve Mariucci, it simply was uncomfortable, what with his close friend, Dick...

49ers seek another road victory.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman CHICAGO_They came, they saw, they conquered their first two road games this season. When the upstart 49ers (4-1) head into Soldier Field today for a 10 a.m. tilt with the surprising Chicago Bears (4-1), they will be...

Gannon braces for blitzing Eagles.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Steve Corkran ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Opposing defenses are blitzing the Raiders with great regularity this season, forcing the offense to rely upon precise play-calling and near-flawless execution by imperturbable quarterback Rich...

`Windy City' is `Win City' so far.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Rick Hurd They aren't getting carried away. After all, 10 games doth hardly an NHL season make. Yet, the signs are there. The ruthlessness in the corners. The fearlessness in front of the nets. The reluctance of other teams...

War plus sports just don't add up.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Gary Peterson It's another case of anthrax. Wait, make that five. Wait, make that 10, with 15,000 people lined up to pop antibiotics. Just in case. It's another tribute to New York City firefighters and police. It's another...

Dublin, Calif.-Based Unilect Awaits Florida Approval for New Voting Systems.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Ellen Lee Oct. 27--DUBLIN, Calif.--Nearly a year has passed since Florida's presidential election fiasco, an event that put such phrases as "pregnant chad" into everyday vocabulary and drew attention to an outdated voting system....

ChevronTexaco Plays Growing Role in Russian, Kazakh Oil Industries.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Rick Jurgens Oct. 27--SAN RAMON, Calif.--During the Cold War, the partnership between ChevronTexaco and Lukoil, the Moscow-based company that is Russia's largest oil producer and seller, would have been unthinkable. But Cold...

Walnut Creek, Calif.-Area Water Districts Begin Conservation Push.
October 27, 2001... Byline: Mike Taugher Oct. 27--East Bay water districts are urging their customers to conserve water now in case supplies get tight next year. The two largest water agencies in the area, which together serve more than 1.7 million...

CB radio waves boil with opinions on attacks, war.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Thomas Peele and John Simerman The engines of their rigs whine into the night. Gears churning up mountains. Airbrakes hissing like giant serpents on the way down. They haul just about everything _ food, wine,...

Trade enables Warriors to set lineup.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Matt Steinmetz LOS ANGELES _ With all due respect to forward Cedric Henderson, Thursday's trade that brought him to the Warriors really wasn't about him. If Henderson can give the Warriors anything on the court this season,...

Wide receiver shortage dooms Cal, Oregon State.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Jay Heater CORVALLIS, Ore._It wasn't the loss of a few burly offensive linemen or a brick-house fullback that doomed Oregon State tailback Ken Simonton to a season of mediocrity. Simonton's crash-and-burn, along with Oregon...

Reader is thriving in Philly.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Cecil Conley The Philadelphia Eagles wanted to sign Jamie Reader last January and activate the fullback for the NFC playoffs, but there was one small problem. Reader was under contract with the XFL's San Francisco Demons,...

Sharks can't get it together.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Rick Hurd CHICAGO_ They had very few answers Thursday. They had no easy solutions. Ten games into one of the most-anticipated seasons in franchise history, the Sharks are in head-scratch mode. They said they know why they've...

Decorating Dilemma: Sectional presents quandary.
October 26, 2001... Q: I enjoy reading about other people's dilemmas, but always thought I could handle my own. Unfortunately, I've gotten myself into a real pickle. Last spring my husband and I planned to remodel our house; and while plans were under way,...

Americans, Russians team up on acquiring oil.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Rick Jurgens SAN RAMON, Calif., _ During the Cold War, the partnership between ChevronTexaco and Lukoil, the Moscow-based company that is Russia's largest oil producer and seller, would have been unthinkable. But Cold War...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Chuck Barney Column.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Chuck Barney Oct. 26--`Keep the dream alive. Keep America rolling." That's the message General Motors has been sending across the nation's airwaves since the tragic events of Sept. 11. On a cursory level, it seems appropriate...

Disease Experts Add Bioterror Topic to San Francisco Convention.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Sandy Kleffman Oct. 25--More than 2,000 infectious disease experts will gather in San Francisco today for an annual conference that features several newly added sessions on bioterrorism. The Infectious Diseases Society of...

Pleasant Hill, Calif., City Manager Cleared of Allegations of Bond Kickbacks.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Sonia Krishnan Oct. 25--The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office said Thursday that Pleasant Hill City Manager Joe Tanner has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing over allegations that he received kickbacks from a bond deal....

Malls across Country Struggle with How to Deal with Halloween.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Megan Long Oct. 25--While many parents consider malls safe havens for their little goblins on Halloween, some shopping centers in the East Bay and throughout the country are canceling trick-or-treat events because of concerns...

Medical Center Closes Livermore, Calif., Homeless Shelter.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Melissa Moy Oct. 25--LIVERMORE, Calif.-- The Tri-Valley's only shelter for homeless families closed its doors Thursday, citing a loss of grant money and high operating costs. The Valley Community Health Center's Family Crisis...

Health Care Experts Say California Needs More Medical Specialists.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Judy Silber Oct. 25--SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Speaking at a panel discussion Thursday, health care experts disagreed strongly about whether California is suffering from a physician shortage. The five panelists, brought together by...

Three Panels in San Francisco Bay Area Approve Ozone-Reduction Plan.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Mike Taugher Oct. 25--OAKLAND, Calif.--A plan to reduce smog in the Bay Area is on its way to state and federal regulators after it was approved Wednesday by a trio of regional panels. Transportation officials said around 100...

Contra Costa, Calif., Council Mandates Higher Wages for City Contractors.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Peter Felsenfeld Oct. 25--RICHMOND, Calif. -- The City Council has ok'd Contra Costa County's first living wage ordinance, setting higher wage standards than similar measures adopted in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. ...

Poised Yankees still getting it done.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Gary Peterson It was well past midnight, New York Dynasty Time. The Yankees had just lost Game 2 of their best-of-five playoff series with the A's. They were down 2-0 and headed for Oakland. You had to be a raging optimist or...

Showalter watching former teams.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Cecil Conley Shortly after the 2000 baseball season, Buck Showalter says he sent a note to Bob Brenly to wish the former Giants catcher good luck in his new job as Arizona Diamondbacks manager. That job had been Showalter's...

HEADLINE HERE.
October 25, 2001... CC-AM.. NOHATE LIVERMORE_Hoping to stamp out further harassment of community members, a nonprofit peace group will host a "Hate-Free Community" day Sunday at Carnegie Park. Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment...

Alexander doesn't regret picking Cal.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Jay Heater BERKELEY_Lorenzo Alexander, Cal's talented freshman defensive tackle, is going to be playing a little defense this offseason. Alexander's friends, and perhaps even his family members, will be asking him why he...

McQuarters becomes a big-play man.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Cam Inman SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Last game, Chicago Bears cornerback R.W. McQuarters intercepted a pass at the Bears 6-yard line and returned it 43 yards to spark a 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The game before that,...

Eagles' McNabb can make defenses go dizzy.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Okanes ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Just like his mom does in that soup commercial in which he stars, Donovan McNabb can foil your plans in a hurry. He can do it with his arm. He can do it with his legs. He can do it with his...

Those who witnessed civil rights battles know pitfalls of racial profiling.
October 24, 2001... Byline: Thomas Peele and John Simerman SELMA, Ala. _ The photographs that line the walls of a front room at the National Voting Rights Museum show Martin Luther King Jr. leading marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge and into a cadre of...

Hughes' point is that he's versatile.
October 24, 2001... Byline: Neil Hayes OAKLAND LARRY HUGHES DOESN'T consider himself a point guard, or even an off guard, for that matter. He's just a guard. He sees no reason to be more specific than that. Better yet_just call him a basketball...