So This Happened…Week of Jan. 15 through 21, 2023
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Jan. 22, 2024) — With spring fast approaching, Springwood Swim Club in Concord is without a head coach – while also facing difficulties paying back a loan to repair the pool.
“Quite frankly, I’m not sure if we can make it past this upcoming season with this loan hindering us,” president Melanie Bang told the Pioneer.
Meanwhile, the Terrapin Swim Team ended 2023 at meets in Moraga and Beaverton, Ore. For more local sports news, read the latest version of Sports Shorts.
A shaky situation: With one home already condemned, Oakhurst residents may pay new fees for the Oakhurst Geological Hazard Abatement District. The Clayton City Council discussed the issue at a December meeting, with another conversation scheduled for Feb. 6. “The city engineer is coming back with the Plan of Control, which is the document that kind of dictates the level of initial funding that’s going to be required for each area based on their level of risk,” said city manager Bret Prebula.
Police roundup: Pleasant Hill police are investigating anti-Semitic and anti-Black messaging found at Pleasant Hill Middle School over the holiday break. Video surveillance shows five male juveniles on the campus. And as multiple agencies are battling organized retail thefts, the Concord and Walnut Creek police departments worked with state and federal officials in getting charges filed against three people for several crimes. “The California Department of Justice and its partners will continue fighting to keep our communities, businesses, and consumers safe from retail theft and other crimes,” said state Attorney General Rob Bonta. Then on Jan. 17, Concord police tracked down a suspect in an armed robbery, locating him in a garbage enclosure.
More stories
Here are some other stories the Pioneer covered recently:
In entertainment: Breaking the “Solitude” with new Bay Area music, plus two fascinating shows with suicide at the center
For your health (and your dog’s): Boosting your immune system, and jury still out on new respiratory disease afflicting canines.
In the new year: New mayors hope for more constituent involvement, getting it right with pronouns a good start to 2024 and an optimistic look at real estate market.
Concord City Council to consider rent stabilization, eviction policies on Jan. 30.
Kitchen composting a sign of the times – and the law.
Learning to say no when overwhelmed.
Clayton Museum’s Camellia Tea to honor pioneering families and museum docents.
Read past installments of “So This Happened…”: Click here.
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Bev Britton
Bev Britton graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of North Dakota and moved to the Bay Area with her soon-to-be husband Jim in 1986. She was features editor at the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek before becoming managing editor of the Contra Costa Sun in Lafayette in 1995. She retired from newsrooms in 2001, but an ad for the Clayton Pioneer drew her back in. The family moved to Lake Wildwood in the Gold Country a few years ago - but working at the Pioneer keeps her in touch with her old neighborhoods in Concord and Clayton.