So This Happened...Week of Oct. 16 through 22, 2023

So This Happened…Week of Oct. 16 through 22, 2023

Oh, the horror and then some from ‘Mr. Halloween’
Rod Glover, AKA Mr. Halloween gets ready for his favorite holiday.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Oct. 22, 2023) — It’s no trick – Halloween is fast approaching. Of course, this isn’t news to Rod Glover, who prepares year-round for his favorite holiday. His horrific handiwork can be found all around town, from Mt. Diablo and St. Agnes schools to his own Concord garage.

Also be sure to check out our list of local pumpkin patches and other spooky activities.

Rally for tenant rights: Activists gathered outside Concord City Hall to support safeguards for renters ahead of the City Council’s considerations of the issue. Vice Mayor Edi Birsan was among the speakers.

Focusing on emotional well-being: Carondelet High School’s new Cannon Wellness Center is helping bring mental health out of the shadows. “The Cannon not only provides a place for students to get the care they need during moments of crisis, it’s also a space for students to check in with themselves, make connections with other students, meditate and reset, engage socially during lunch and participate in group activities,” said school president Jessica Mix.

 

Joseph Alvarico teaches at Ygnacio Valley High in Concord.

State honor for YV teacher: Joseph Alvarico of Ygnacio Valley High School is among the state’s Teachers of the Year. “Joseph is a great example of the high-quality teaching and learning going on in Contra Costa County schools every day,” said Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey.

More stories

Here are some other stories the Pioneer covered recently.

Local government: Contra Costa supes vote Andersen to vice chair role, Concord residents can take part in FlashVote surveys, Pleasant Hill ends remote access to council meetings after anonymous disruptions and Concord public meetings to focus on Homeless Strategic Plan.

In sports: Pioneer Athlete Spotlights on Loraine Aicel Sotto of Mt. Diablo and Ashtyn Hosler of Clayton Valley.

Guest commentaries: Could Clayton be another Lahaina? And, the meaning of LGBTQIA+ History Month.

Justine Moser, left, Arastoo Darakhshan, Adrián Bosada, Shane Walker, Lynn Shields, Ben Piper and Cody B. Morrison improv “Z is for … Zombie” in Walnut Creek through Oct. 29. (Photo by Arastoo Darakhshan)

In entertainment: Studs Terkel, Fats Waller jazz and zombies – October has it all, plus Sunday in the park with Creative Concord and new sounds from OakTown.

Obituaries: Alex Su Ying Go and Carole Hopkins.

Concord Police arrest report.

Read past installments of “So This Happened…”: Click here.

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Bev Britton
Bev Britton
Copy Editor at The Concord Clayton Pioneer | bevbritton@sbcglobal.net

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.

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