News and Features
News: Stories covering Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and surrounding areas.
Weekly Summaries/So This Happened: Our weekly roundup of news.
Pioneer Newspaper PDF archive: Read past issues of the monthly print paper in PDF format. We have issues going back to 2003.
News by City
- Concord: News from Concord, CA.
- Clayton: News from Clayton, CA.
- Pleasant Hill: News from Pleasant Hill, CA.
News by Category
Elections: Coverage of local candidates and voting.
Obituaries: Obituaries for Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and surrounding communities.
Letters to the Editor: Submitted by our readers.
Sports: News and athlete profiles from local teams and alumni, sports organizations and more.
Crime: Police reports and news about criminal activity.
Performing Arts: Reviews and promotions for local theater productions and live music events.
From the Desk of: News and commentary from city, county and state officials.
Schools: News, features and accomplishments from the schools serving Concord, Clayton and Pleasant Hill.
Pioneer Columnists
Our columnists each bring you their personal reflections on a variety topics from restaurants to films to gardening to pet care, and more.
Recent Pioneer stories:
Community comes together to spruce up Clayton
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 19, 2025) — On Saturday, April 19, residents of Clayton joined friends and family for the annual ...
Picnic on the Green Celebrates 50 Years of Concord Pavilion
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 19, 2025) — Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Concord Pavilion at Picnic on the Green. Hosted ...
Clayton Valley Charter to Host Inaugural Statewide eSports Invitational May 24
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 19, 2025) — Clayton Valley Charter High School (CVCHS) will host its first annual CVCHS Scholastic eSports ...
Abbi Cooper nabs place on USA U20 World Championship team
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 18, 2025) — Clayton resident Abbi Cooper has continued a highly successful 2025 by earning a spot ...
City survey highlights progress, lingering concerns
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 18, 2025) — Potholes. Cows. Homelessness. Beautiful trails. Housing. What do these have in common? They’re some ...
Obituary — Thomas Hamilton Bedecarré,
January 17, 1956 – March 29, 2025
(Apr. 18, 2025) — Seniors in the Mt. Diablo High School class of 1974 voted Tom Bedecarré “most likely to ...
‘Freaky Tales’ weaves four wild stories of 1980s East Bay
SAN FRANCISCO EAST BAY AREA, CA (Apr. 18, 2025) — In the 1980s, the Oakland-Berkeley area was a happening place ...
Pioneer Sports Shorts for April 2025
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 18, 2025) — The Red Devil Golf Committee announced its 28th fund-raising tournament will be ...
Budgeting for Clayton’s future
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 16, 2025) — The city of Clayton will officially begin its budget process on Monday, April 21, ...
Little things you can do to help local music-makers
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 17, 2025) — You don’t have to go to shows to support local music. Sure, ...
Beware of interest rates that seem too good to be true
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 16, 2025) — With today’s turbulent mortgage market, lenders are getting creative to help consumers ...
Pioneer Athlete Spotlight on Kai Parker, Clayton Valley Charter
Grade: Senior School: Clayton Valley Charter High School Sport: Lacrosse CONCORD, CA (Apr. 16, 2025) — “Overcoming the impossible” is ...
Remote cabin encounter ends with justified shooting
CLAYTON — A bizarre and unsettling incident unfolded on the evening of March 20 along remote Morgan Territory Road, roughly ...
Food Bank pivoting quickly in response to Trump, state cuts
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 15, 2025) — The rapid pace of the daily cuts coming out the Trump administration the past ...
Obringer goes to Washington to plead Concord’s case
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 15, 2025) — I recently attended the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, D.C., ...
Letters to the Editor — Offering a different version of Concord protestors
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 15, 2025) — The following letters to the Editor of the Pioneer came in response to "Do ...
Immerse yourself in garden paradises on Clayton tour
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 15, 2025) — The 33rd annual Clayton Gardens Tour offers a rare opportunity to explore some of ...
Catch ‘The Roommate’ or head to ‘Chicago’
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 15, 2025) — You can still make the final performances of Center Rep’s “The Roommate,” ...
The Pioneer’s Spring 2025 calendar of events and activities, April 13 update
COSTA COUNTY, CA, (Apr. 13, 2025) — The Pioneer Calendar lists local events, performances and activities for the whole family ...
Holy cow! Fans flock to meet ‘God with Us’ comic creator
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 13, 2025) — Mike Mikalatos, a former staffer of Flying Colors Comics, returned to his old stomping ...
The Broadway classic hit Chicago is coming to Old Town Pittsburg
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 9, 2025) — Pittsburg Theatre Company presents Chicago, an enduring hit musical with a 50-year pedigree ...
The Pioneer’s Spring 2025 calendar of events and activities, April 6 update
COSTA COUNTY, CA, (Apr. 6, 2025) — The Pioneer Calendar lists local events, performances and activities for the whole family ...
So This Happened…Week of March 31-April 6, 2025
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 6, 2025) — Residents lined the streets in downtown Pleasant Hill on April 5 as ...
Pleasant Hill joins nationwide ‘Hands Off’ rallies
PLEASANT HILL, CA (Apr. 5, 2025) — A large crowd gathered at City Hall in Pleasant Hill today for a ...
Pleasant Hill sees rise in calls for service and property crimes in March 2025
PLEASANT HILL, CA (Apr. 5, 2025) — The Pleasant Hill Police Department responded to 5,899 incidents so far in 2025, ...
Concord Police arrest armed suspect after officer-involved shooting
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 5, 2025) — A dramatic police pursuit unfolded in Concord late Thursday night. The event ended in ...
MDUSD announces new teacher residency partnership with Saint Mary’s College
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 5, 2025) — Mt. Diablo Unified School District has announced a partnership with Saint Mary’s ...
Pipeline Repair Work Scheduled for Lynwood Drive Area in Concord
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 4, 2025) — Kinder Morgan will begin important pipeline repair work on Monday, April 7 along the ...
Do Families Come First in Concord?
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 4, 2025) — Under pressure from the California Apartment Association (CAA) and corporate landlords, such as Vasona ...
Cheers to art, wine and music as festival season ramps up
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 4, 2025) — As the weather warms, local cities are gearing up for a series ...