So This Happened…News Summary for Dec. 28 to Jan. 3

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY—With the “usual” school holiday vacation time coming to a close, many parents are eager for in-person classes to return.

To that end, Gov. Gavin Newsom released the state’s Safe Schools for All plan. The strategy aims to support schools to continue operating safely in-person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction.

“As a father of four, I know first-hand what parents, educators and pediatricians continue to say: In-person is the best setting to meet not only the learning needs, but the mental health and social-emotional needs of our kids,” Newsom said. Read the full story.

Sending that tree to the curb: Don’t forget to prepare your tree properly before leaving it at the curb for Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery to pick up. Or, you can take it to Contra Costa Waste Services yourself. Read the full story.

A boost for small businesses: The state has allocated $500 million to the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. Applications for the first round close at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8. Read the full story.

Cozying up to home decor: Design expert Jennifer Leischer says 2020 will be known as the year that we decided to become home-bodies. As we head into 2021, she suggests we continue to use this time wisely to evaluate home design projects. Read the full story.

Making a local impact: The Concord Clayton Pioneer newspaper is looking for an experienced reporter/feature writer for a freelance spot. Looking for curious fellows with a sense of humor – and the ability to cover night and weekend events. Intrigued? Read the full story.

Each week, the Concord Clayton Pioneer posts a summary of our news stories called “So This Happened…” If you would like to check out past weekly roundups, click here.