Recent news headlines from Danville Express
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Local NASCAR fan, heart transplant survivor to drop green flag at big race
A Danville resident and heart transplant recipient will fulfill a lifelong dream this weekend as a participant in the 25th Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. (Wednesday, 4:42 PM)

Town Council approves Magee Ranch development
Sixty-nine new homes will be built along Diablo Road on the Magee Ranch property after town officials approved development plans Tuesday night. Plans to develop the 410-acre site at the southeast corner of Diablo and McCauley roads are two years in the making and the cause of much concern among residents, bicyclists and slow-growth advocates. (Wednesday, 3:21 PM)

Search under way for armed robbery suspects at Holiday Inn
Police are searching for two suspects in connection with an armed robbery at a Holiday Inn in Walnut Creek on Monday night. According to police, the suspects entered the hotel via the front door and demanded money from the employee tending to the front desk. (Wednesday, 11:10 AM)

Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Trail art and public access
A fairly well-kept secret, a two-mile section of the Carquinez Scenic Drive between Martinez and Post Costa has become a haven for bicyclists and walkers. In Art Space, John Barry discusses quirky art on the trail -- which is slated to become a gravel path operated by the East Bay Regional Parks District next year. (Tuesday, 10:12 PM)

Trash can body case in Pleasanton ends with conviction
The man who killed the young woman whose body was left in a trash can beside a road in Pleasanton has been sentenced after pleading guilty to her death. Javier Sandoval, 35, was sentenced June 12 for the killing of Ana Flores-Pineda, 25. (Tuesday, 1:32 PM)

Ditch days costly for school district
Senior ditch day may be a longstanding tradition in local high schools, but every time a student misses school, whether it's an excused absence or not, it costs the district money. (Tuesday, 1:32 PM)

This week's police log
The Danville Police Department provides Danville Express with a record of its calls each week. This is a sampling, omitting the more mundane, such as routine traffic stops, service requests, noise complaints and domestic disturbances. (Tuesday, 1:31 PM)

Monday, June 17, 2013
When is too early to begin college advising?
In this week's Doing College, expert admissions advisor Elizabeth LaScala answers a reader's question about early college advising for driven middle school students. Creating a strong academic path, finding meaningful summer activities and easing the transition to high school are all benefits of early advising, LaScala writes. (Monday, 10:54 PM)

Town Council to hold hearing on Magee Ranch development
Danville's Town Council will hold its first public hearing on the Magee Ranch/SummerHill Homes development at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18. The Council will certify the final environmental impact report and final development plan request related to architectural and landscape design features of the project. (Monday, 4:16 PM)

Strikers are SRVGAL 3/4 league champions
The San Ramon Valley Girls Athletic League 3/4 North Strikers headed into the north division playoffs with a 12-3 regular season record. In a nail-biting league championship game, the Strikers posted an exciting 7-6 victory over the south division champion Honey Badgers in a game that went two extra innings. (Monday, 3:31 PM)

Using X-Rays, Scientists uncover 200-year-old opera ending
One of the biggest mysteries about the opera "Médée" by late 18th-century composer Luigi Cherubini is why its last few pages are blacked out with charcoal. For centuries the opera was performed incomplete, but X-Ray technology developed by scientists at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) has allowed them to uncover the hidden score. (Monday, 3:30 PM)

Danville schools up to walk/bike challenge
This spring, 730 students from 16 elementary schools in the San Ramon Valley participated in the Street Smarts Walk/Bike Challenge, a contest that encourages students to get to and from school under their own power. During the two-week challenge, students made 9,417 walking, biking, skateboarding and scootering trips. (Monday, 3:30 PM)

Saturday, June 15, 2013
Crews responding to grass fire in Danville
Crews from San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District are responding to reports of a grass fire in Danville. The blaze was reported around 10:20 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. No additional information was available. (Saturday, 10:25 PM)

Friday, June 14, 2013
Fair opens Wednesday with $1 admission
Spend $1 to attend the Alameda County Fair on opening day plus $1 for rides -- which leaves money to spend on corn dogs, turkey legs and funnel cake. The Fair, in its 101st year, opens Wednesday and runs through July 7. (Friday, 3:43 PM)

BART board approves $1.5 billion budget
BART directors have approved a $1.5 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 that includes spending for 401 new rail cars, cleaner
stations and other system improvements. (Friday, 3:43 PM)

Regional planning staff respond to public comments on Plan Bay Area
Planners from the Metropolitan Transportation Committee and Association of Bay Area Governments reviewed and discussed public comments on Plan Bay Area Friday morning. The four-hour meeting highlighted concerns and added new initiatives. (Friday, 3:42 PM)

Thursday, June 13, 2013
Streetwise: Summer sales
School's out, the official start of summer is nigh and many business owners are getting ready for a new season and fiscal year. This week, Roving Reporter Stan Wharton asked Danville business owners What's your business outlook for summer? (Thursday, 3:00 PM)

Contra Costa to hold gun buyback on August 3
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office will sponsor a gun buyback program in August where residents throughout the county can return their firearms for gift cards. (Thursday, 2:13 PM)

Pet of the Week: Aubrey
Eager to please, 10-month-old Aubrey is a real sweetheart. This tiny rat terrier mix is a real softie when it comes to getting attention. (Thursday, 2:09 PM)

Police release photos of woman who robbed cabbie
Walnut Creek police have released photos of a woman with a long, blonde ponytail who robbed a taxi driver earlier this month. The woman, who is described as in her early 20s, hailed a cab at Treat Boulevard and Bancroft Road at about 8:25 p.m. on June 6. (Thursday, 2:08 PM)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
NSA surveillance and party politics
Bickering parties in Congress might unite over the disclosure that the National Security Agency is compiling surveillance data on US citizens, Tom Cushing writes in this week's Raucous Caucus. The issue has prompted a much needed debate on the right to privacy. "Whether you believe the government is actively venal or just has potential so to be, the programs ought to be severely circumscribed," he writes. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 5:09 PM)

Bay Area clerks' offices prepare for Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8
With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to make a ruling this month on California's ban on same-sex marriage, county clerks' offices around the Bay Area are preparing to accommodate a potential influx of gay and lesbian couples lining up to tie the knot should Proposition 8 be overturned. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 4:59 PM)

Instilling a love of learning
It's graduation time and Linda Stolow Sterling has three grandchildren matriculating from high school. With all four earning an above 4.0 grade point average, Stolow discusses how her triplet grandchildren started to love learning in this week's Simply Sterling. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 4:59 PM)

Hats off to the class of 2013!
Congratulations to the class of 2013 from San Ramon Valley, Monte Vista and Del Amigo high schools. The Express wishes Danville's 1,078 graduates well on their journeys ahead whether it be college, vocational school, the military, straight to work or a year off. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 3:35 PM)

Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Beacon removed from Mt. Diablo for repairs
The Eye of Diablo is in serious disrepair after years of neglect. On June 11, repair crews removed the beacon from the summit building to begin renovation work in advance of the annual Pearl Harbor Day remembrance ceremony. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 3:47 PM)

A visit from the hugging saint
The San Ramon Valley is hardly a Mecca or Jerusalem, but thousands of people make a pilgrimage here to see and be touched by a woman who's been called one of the 12 most influential contemporary religious leaders. Mata Amritanandamayi -- known as Amma or the hugging saint -- is in her ashram, the M.A. Center, in the hills just west of San Ramon. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 2:30 PM)

Be well, eat healthy
You are what you eat, as the saying goes, so luckily you live in a place where nutritious food is as close as your neighborhood grocery store. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 2:25 PM)

This week's police log
The Danville Police Department provides Danville Express with a record of its calls each week. This is a sampling, omitting the more mundane, such as routine traffic stops, service requests, noise complaints and domestic disturbances. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 1:06 PM)

Fire District's sudden cardiac arrest save rates among best in the nation
Sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, stroke and other heart diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States but patients who experience sudden cardiac arrest more than twice as likely to survive if that episode occurs in the San Ramon Valley. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 12:55 PM)

Monday, June 10, 2013
School district employees get new contract, one-time bonus
San Ramon Valley Unified School District teachers obtained their first contract since 2008 Tuesday night, leaving the negotiating table with maintained health care benefits and a bonus. San Ramon Valley Education Association members were working with a contract that expired in 2011. (Monday, June 10, 2013, 4:32 PM)

Sunday, June 9, 2013
Police searching for suspect who robbed a Walgreens
Police in Walnut Creek are searching for a suspect who robbed a drug store Sunday morning. The suspect demanded two containers of prescription drugs
then fled on foot. (Sunday, June 9, 2013, 9:06 PM)

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