So This Happened…Week of Oct. 14 through 21, 2024
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Oct. 21, 2024) — Beyond her 46 years on the Contra Costa Water District board, Bette Boatmun was a role model for a league of women leaders. “Bette was like the Energizer Bunny – she just kept going. She was a real-life superhero, especially among us women,” Mary Jo Rossi says of the Concord resident, who died at age 87. Read the complete story.
Fall in love with farms: Northern California farmers go beyond the typical pumpkin patches and corn mazes to draw visitors in the fall. “They welcome customers to their farms with exciting fall activities, fresh products, value-added purchases and educational events,” notes Debra Morris.
Meanwhile, Garden Girl Nicole Hackett offers up some “front yard worthy” plants to look for this fall, including Salvia Mystic Spires. “Hands down the most sought-after perennial of this growing season, and it’s with good reason. Salvia Mystic Spires stood up to all the summer had to offer.”
Monster music: For your Halloween party, why not groove to some local music. Dave Hughes’ tips include “Haunt Me Tonight” from Berkeley’s Casachanclas. “The song even has a breakdown with a low-register voice reading Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Spirits of the Dead.’ I’d recommend this one for any fun Halloween playlist.” Then there’s the aptly titled “Ghosty and the Ghosts” from Pleasant Hills’ So Cal Jack. “As a somewhat melancholy mid-tempo song, it feels like a stretch to call this ‘party music,’ but it’s fun and might fit nicely in your Halloween mix.” Read the complete story.
More stories
Here are some other stories the Pioneer covered recently:
Election update: Accusations crop up in California Senate, Assembly races; Letter to the Editor: Misinformation and lies in my mailbox; Prop. 36 a smart way to address addiction, homelessness and theft; Ledo outlines her qualifications for state Assembly; and watch the Concord City Council Candidate Forum.
In sports: Fall sports championships commence, and Yealimi Noh posts best LPGA tournament finish in three years.
From Concord PD: Department receives $275,000 grant for traffic enforcement and education programs, plus the latest arrest report.
Workplace comedy hits local stage.
Art Meets Jam for a walk in the park.
Diversity Commission helps make Pleasant Hill a place for everyone.
Day of the Dead celebration brings culture and remembrance to Oakmont Memorial Park.
October is Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Month.
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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.