http://danvilleexpress.com If it is local and useful, it is on DanvilleExpress.com. en-us A former Contra Costa County drug task force commander is due to be sentenced this afternoon for his role in a a police corruption case that scandalized the Bay Area. ]]> Festivities surrounding the Amgen Tour of California Race were brought to a temporary halt by a bomb scare in downtown Livermore yesterday afternoon. ]]> The California unemployment rate fell to 9.0 percent in April, down from 9.4 percent in March and well below a year ago when it stood at 10.7 percent, according to the California Employment Development Department.]]> Dozens of elementary and middle school kids have a new perspective on what it means to be wheelchair bound. Schools teamed up with Danville-based Wheelchair Foundation to learn and to help raise funds for the organization.]]> Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. Students at Monte Vista High School got a lesson in that axiom during an educational presentation Thursday afternoon when McAfee Security teamed up with Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom to teach hundreds of teenagers that their online presence will be around long after their current Facebook feed is gone. ]]> Cyclists will race through town on Saturday, May 18 in the seventh stage of the race from Livermore to Mt. Diablo State Park. During that afternoon there will be rolling closures of Camino Tassajara, Blackhawk Road and Mt. Diablo Scenic Road. Delays of 20-30 minutes can be expected in those areas between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. ]]> The San Ramon Valley school district can look forward to some unexpected funding. Unanticipated revenue to California will mean a $179 per student bump in average daily attendance (ADA) figures, which are used to calculate how much districts get from the state.]]> This week's Raucous Caucus tackles the Syrian civil war and the practicality of U.S. intervention. If President Obama were to heed the call to arms, Tom Cushing writes that the Commander in Chief has a few options, none of which are good or likely. ]]> As technology evolves, so does the dispersal of information. From libraries to LexisNexis, there is no dearth of ways to read, learn and soak up knowledge. This week, Roving Reporter Stan Wharton went to the Danville Library and asked residents roaming the stacks How do you prefer to get your information?]]> What started out as an attempted murder charge wound up as a misdemeanor assault conviction for William Hogarty, the CEO of a now defunct mortgage consulting firm, O.F. Lending.]]> In a 5-1 vote, with Commissioner Paul Radich opposing, the Commission approved the Magee Ranch/SummerHill Homes project --a 410-acre development at the southeast corner of Diablo and McCauley roads. The development and its associated environmental impact report (EIR) will now be heard by the Town Council, which will conduct its own set of public hearings. ]]> The fifth annual Walk of Honor brings together community members and veterans organizations for leisurely walk across the "Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge" and barbeque. The event regularly draws over 600 participants, many of whom walk in honor of a family or friend who is currently serving.]]> In a seemingly quixotic quest, East Bay businessman Kazem Sadati (also known as Matt Sadati) has thrown his hat into the ring to be Iran's next president. He is one of 686 people who registered with the Interior Ministry in Tehran last week to be candidates to succeed termed-out President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. ]]> Members of the state Senate transportation committee asked tough questions Tuesday of Caltrans and Metropolitan Transportation Committee officials about faulty anchor bolts on the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge.]]> Local and regional emergency managers and disaster service workers will exercise the valley's emergency operations plan today as part of the Golden Guardian program, which aims to exercise and assess emergency operations plans, policies and procedures across various levels of government.]]> East Bay Municipal Utility District's general manager said deferred infrastructure and
maintenance work during the economic downturn in recent years but that "there's only so long you can defer this work without having an impact on our water service."]]> A San Ramon man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography. Clyde Craig, 56, pleaded guilty in January. In a plea agreement, Craig admitted he used the Internet to distribute images and videos of minors.]]> 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. ]]> San Ramon recently opted out of a contract with Jordan Associates, a consultant group that arranged the Tri-Valley mayors' lobbying trip to Washington every January. The move is frustrating Danville officials, who feel that the city will reap the benefits of regional lobbying without paying for it. ]]> All nine local high schools scored among the top high schools in the country in the latest U.S. News & World report ranking of high schools nationwide. Four schools -- Amador Valley, Dougherty Valley, Foothill and San Ramon Valley -- took gold awards from the magazine. Five others -- California, Monte Vista, Dublin, Granada and Livermore -- were awarded silver honors.]]> It took a Martinez jury just 40 minutes to convict Berkeley resident Walter Bell in the killing of 17-year-old Danville resident Rylan Fuchs. Bell was convicted of first-degree murder and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.]]> A grassroots ballot initiative aimed at strengthening voter rights on future development may have garnered enough support, but will no longer be under consideration as a ballot measure due to a technical error. ]]> A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment Wednesday, charging a Danville resident Andrew Katakis with obstruction of justice in connection with a bid-rigging and mail fraud conspiracies at public real estate auctions.]]> The annual ceremony honors high school seniors with a certificate of merit and a $200 scholarship. Five students from San Ramon Valley Unified received awards for efforts in a variety of ROP programs, which focus on career preparation and exploration through hands-on experience. ]]> The 2013-14 budget, which runs from July 1, 2013 through June 20, 2014, maintains "appropriate reserves" but forecasts slow revenue growth over the next ten years. Service delivery costs are expected to increase and increased workload and service demands will result in longer delivery and response times, the draft budget summary stated.]]>