https://pleasantonweekly.com If it is local and useful, it is on PleasantonWeekly.com. en-us Copyright 2020 PleasantonWeekly.com https://PleasantonWeekly.com/art/top_logo.png https://pleasantonweekly.com/news/rss.php At the local level in the Tri-Valley, the 2020 election results certified at the beginning of this month brought a unique mix of change and continuity, depending on where (and how) you look ...]]> Small businesses in Dublin that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are invited to apply for financial assistance through the city's new "Small Business Recovery Grant Program."]]> Parents used to limit their child's "screen time," but things are different this year with so many parents working from home and children learning remotely. Now it's just the opposite with "x" number of hours a day mandated by school.]]> Cantabella Children's Chorus has prepared a short holiday concert, "Wishful Singing," that includes favorites "Deck the Hall" and "Silent Night." The link will be available online beginning at 4 p.m. this Saturday (Dec. 19).]]> Before Pleasanton's Gretchen Piscotty died in 2018 after battling ALS, her husband Mike and their three sons promised her that they would work together to help find a cure for the infamously aggressive disease. To keep that vow...]]> A small groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Livermorium Plaza in downtown Livermore earlier this month. ]]> A number of community members turned out virtually to the Livermore City Council meeting Monday to bring attention to a social media-fueled controversy that came to light over the weekend in online circles in Livermore and beyond.]]> The sheriff's office recently marked the somber anniversaries of two cold-case homicides that occurred almost exactly one decade apart in the Tri-Valley, shining a spotlight on the cases and making a renewed call for new information.]]> The entirety of the greater Bay Area region moved into the state's coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home order Wednesday as the region's capacity for intensive care unit patients fell below 15%. ]]> Entertainment venues have been sadly empty for nine months, Firehouse Arts Center and Bankhead Theater devoid of live performances and patrons.]]> Author Linda C. McCabe will explain how writers use symbolism and archetypes to add depth to their work, in a Zoom meeting of the Tri-Valley Branch of the California Writers Club at 2 p.m. this Saturday (Dec. 19).]]> The four Livermore City Council members voted unanimously for an interview and appointment process, as opposed to calling for a costly special election, to fill the vacancy on the dais created upon Mayor Bob Woerner's ascension.]]> The city of Pleasanton welcomed new Mayor Karla Brown and City Council members Valerie Arkin and Jack Balch during a virtual ceremony Tuesday evening. ]]> The Pleasanton school board unanimously agreed on Tuesday to reopen all 15 elementary and secondary schools within several weeks of each other, as soon as Alameda County is officially back in the state's COVID red tier of case rates.]]> Legislation aiming to fight potential wildfires started by utility companies that fall short of safety standards was reintroduced recently by Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda).]]> The Alameda County Sheriff's Office told of the exploits of an arrestee who allegedly stole a department golf cart from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin for a joy ride down the road Monday, dubbing him the "golf cart bandit" on social media.]]> The California Department of Public Health revised its guidance for youth and recreational adult sports Monday, outlining which are allowed in each of the state's four pandemic reopening tiers.]]> The first shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive this week, according to Alameda County health officials, who have said that plans are being laid to ensure as widespread a distribution as possible.]]> A one-acre site owned by Alameda County by the eastern BART station is being acquired by the city of Dublin for future affordable housing, after the City Council unanimously authorized seeking the transfer earlier this month.<br /> ]]> The city of Pleasanton is ready to welcome new Mayor Karla Brown and council members Valerie Arkin and Jack Balch (albeit from a distance) during a virtual ceremony Tuesday evening.]]> This month, the focus is Beethoven and his 250th birthday, with the Livermore-Amador Symphony releasing several Beethoven-themed video projects on its website and social media pages.]]> A Walnut Creek man has achieved his lofty goal of piloting his motorized paraglider from coast to coast, having landed on a beach in St. Augustine, Fla.]]> A group of Livermore residents plans to appeal the county's approval of a second proposed solar plant in recent weeks by taking the matter to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.]]> This weekend, Livermore city officials addressed a story recently circulating on social media which they said took notes publicly posted online "badly out of context," and sparked local debate.]]> Covered California is extending the open-enrollment deadline for health care coverage for two weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic.]]> It seems as if almost every year, food bank officials say the demand is greater than ever. For two area agencies ... in 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, that premise has borne out big time.]]> Bay Area counties moved to reopen playgrounds after California officials reversed course Wednesday on shutting them down in regions under a stay-at-home order.]]> Officer Imani Hiller-Bateau and dispatcher Audra Curtis are the newest first responders to join the Pleasanton Police Department.]]> Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced the appointment of three new Alameda County Superior Court judges.]]> The Pleasanton school board will hear a report on reopening Pleasanton Unified School District elementary sites, as well as an update on plans to bring back middle and high school students, at its final meeting of the year on Tuesday.]]> After her mother's end-of-life experience, now Dr. Tran hates to think she might have patients feeling the same way, which led to her starting the Wish Project at Stanford Health Care-ValleyCare in June 2018.]]> A group of state Assembly members has co-authored a bill that would require schools to at least partially physically reopen next spring if their county escapes the state's purple tier.]]> The Food and Drug Administration on Friday, Dec. 11, authorized the first emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine. The hurdle allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed in the United States.]]> The city of Pleasanton is accepting nominations for a forthcoming vacancy on the Planning Commission, with the deadline to apply for the seat arriving next Wednesday (Dec. 16).]]> A group of Pleasanton parents urging the Pleasanton Unified School District to reopen local middle and high schools for in-person learning plans to hold a rally at the corner of Valley Avenue and Hopyard Road this weekend.]]> Holiday shows that welcome the season are returning, courtesy of Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center. But this year the variety of musical entertainment will be enjoyed virtually since the Bankhead and Bothwell are closed. ]]> Menlo Park-based Facebook is being sued by the Federal Trade Commission and multiple states for alleged monopoly practices, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office said Wednesday.]]> Facebook announced Wednesday that it will be dedicating $150 million to affordable housing for the Bay Area's low-income residents, including in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.]]> Encore Players of Livermore invite everyone to travel virtually to Bedford Falls for "It's a Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play," based on the holiday classic movie released in 1946.]]> With more people spending the holidays at home while new statewide shelter orders are in effect, Tri-Valley law enforcement told the Weekly that residents should still eliminate any lingering opportunities for thieves this season.]]> Many familiar neighborhood holiday displays -- and some new ones -- are colorfully illuminated across the Tri-Valley to help residents enjoy the season. Here are a few that caught our eye...]]> Last week the East Bay SPCA partnered with Sacramento and another Bay Area shelter to receive 80 dogs from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to ease its overcrowding. The local shelter took more than 20 dogs into its care.]]> Two measures impacting the Tri-Valley that were among the closest contests in all of Alameda County in the general election (Measure W and Measure X) both passed by the skin of their teeth, with results certified last week.]]> Three advocacy groups consisting of mostly Livermore residents filed appeals last week to the Board of Supervisors opposing the zoning board's decision to approve a proposed 410-acre, utility-scale solar power plant north of Livermore.]]> Like many things throughout the past eight months, Hanukkah will look different this year as Jewish congregations in the Tri-Valley adapt their observances amid the health pandemic.]]> Axis Community Health is here to assist residents navigating the complex process of signing up for health care coverage during open enrollment.]]> Saturday marks 22 years since Alameda County Sheriff's Office Deputy John Paul Monego died in the line of duty. To honor his memory, Dublin Police Services is holding a virtual memorial tree lighting this weekend.]]> The latest pandemic-related shutdowns have Tri-Valley restaurants scrambling to adapt. Restaurants say they were just recovering from being on lockdown from March until June, when most counties re-opened with restrictions.]]> Tri-Valley native Nazineen Kandahari is one of 13 recent inductees in the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame Class of 2020.]]> National news outlet Axios released an expose story this week after a yearlong investigation into the actions of a Chinese national accused of being a covert spy targeting young American politicians, including Rep. Eric Swalwell.]]> The Pleasanton Police Department and California Highway Patrol's Dublin office are each finalists in the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Northern California's "First Responder Trick Shot Challenge."]]> The Pleasanton Library is suspending indoor services starting Tuesday while the state's regional stay-at-home order is in effect, but there are several alternative options for residents to access books and other library materials.]]> I have one idea, that while it will be far from salvaging the senior year for these student-athletes, it can be a memory they can carry with them moving on after high school. We could have Amador-Foothill match up in various sports.]]> California will make a mobile app available to the public this week that will notify users when they encounter someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday.]]> Las Positas College student Sydney Roberts won a statewide music composition contest last month, receiving a scholarship along with the honor.]]> Harley Milne describes paramotoring at low altitudes as "basically like being on a motorcycle without the bumps," but the Walnut Creek man knows he's not on the typical cross-country road trip this week.]]> Ross Stores will pay $3.3 million to settle allegations it disposed of hazardous wastes illegally, Alameda County prosecutors announced last week.]]> For the first time ever, the Alameda County Office of Education will honor the 31st annual Teacher of the Year winners -- and recipients of the new Bridging the Distance Awards -- with a virtual ceremony on Dec. 9, starting at 7 pm.]]> Passengers riding Pleasanton Paratransit Service (PPS) will have uninterrupted service when a local business assumes management and day-to-day responsibilities of the nearly 50-year-old city program next year, city officials said.]]> Starting Sunday evening, all campgrounds, visitor centers and playgrounds throughout the East Bay Regional Park District will be shuttered to comply with new orders from county health officers, parks officials said.]]> Homeownership may seem like a distant dream for many in the Bay Area, but a returning Wells Fargo program aims to help make it a reality for residents of six Bay Area counties.]]> McNaney soon realized that there were many people who could benefit from her cancer-conscious meal service. She called it Culinary Angels. ]]> Two men suspected of crashing a stolen pickup truck into a Fremont liquor store and stealing lottery tickets last month have been arrested, police said Thursday.]]> The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning from Sunday night through late Monday afternoon for the entire North Bay, East Bay and San Francisco Peninsula, due to forecasts of high winds and lowering humidity. ]]> The BART Board of Directors voted this week to approve new bargaining agreements with the agency's three largest labor unions]]> Las Positas College's Talk Hawk forensics team scored their biggest victory to date at the 2020 The DVC Thing at Diablo Valley College last month.<br /> ]]> The Alameda County Office of Education invites computer enthusiasts, both young and old, to "build and flex their coding and programming skills" with the first virtually formatted Hour of Code activities this week.]]> Gun owners in Dublin will soon be required to store their firearms inside a locked container or keep it disabled with a trigger lock while inside their home after the City Council unanimously approved the law.]]> Tri-Valley residents have the next month and a half to weigh in during the public comment period for the Valley Link transit project's draft environmental impact report that was recently released.]]>