So This Happened… Week of Nov. 1 to 7, 2021
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Nov. 7, 2021) — Dawn “Dusty” Napier, commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of California, will be the keynote speaker at two Veteran’s Day events this week.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, she will be part of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors’ virtual commemoration.
“The Board of Supervisors thanks all veterans and their families. We recognize these heroes whose sacrifice to protect our democracy and country deserve our gratitude and celebration,” said Board Chair Diane Burgis.
Then at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, Napier will speak at Todos Santos Plaza in an event sponsored by VFW Post 1525 and the city of Concord.
Also this week
Party like it’s 1961: The city of Pleasant Hill will mark its 60th birthday on Nov. 14 with “Lighting up the Lake,” featuring hundreds of floating luminaries. There will also be local entertainment, a display of photo contest winners and a proclamation from Mayor Sue Noack.
COVID vaccines for kids: Contra Costa Health Services is ready to vaccinate children ages 5-11 with pediatric doses of Pfizer’s vaccine. “I know a lot of parents have been waiting a long time to be able to get their younger kids vaccinated,” said Supervisor Burgis. “We’re almost there. If everything goes right, parents will be able to get their children fully vaccinated before the winter holidays.”
Help for the holidays: A group of Clayton residents launched a food and clothing drive to help the area’s homeless, with drop-off sites in Clayton, Concord and Walnut Creek. “We want to collect so much that we exceed what Friends Feeding Friends can take, so we can offer them to other East Bay charities such as Monument Crisis Center,” says organizer Vince Martellacci. Meanwhile, Clayton toymaker Les Ruefenacht has started a fundraiser to help with toy donations for Toys for Tots, Salvation Army and other organizations. Not only will each $25 sponsor a gift for a child, Ruefenacht will donate the full amount to Dogs4Diabetics.
More stories
Here are some other stories the Pioneer covered in the last week:
City of Concord needs your help drawing redistricting maps.
Clayton Valley Charter High student earns perfect test scores.
Morgan Territory Road blocked by stuck trailer.
Kids can win prizes with Travis Credit Union’s “Financially Savvy Superhero” reading challenge.
Local singer brings the songs of Karen Carpenter to the Lesher.
Obituary: Jauire Francis Welsh.
Nails Naturally thrives on inspiration.
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.
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.