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Community Corner

🌱Diablo Magazine Restaurant Recommendations + Eureka Bloody Mary

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Concord.

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Jeri Karges, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy New Year, Concord! Here's everything you need to know to get this day started. Here's everything worth knowing today in town.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and chilly. High: 50 Low: 32.

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Here are the top five stories today in Concord:

  1. The Concord Police Department's Community Service Desk and Records Bureau lobbies have temporarily closed to in-person services due to the impact of the Omicron variant. The department will provide updates within the next 30 days to share any changes to in-person access to the Community Service Desk and Records Bureau. Community members can call (925) 671-3220 to request an officer for non-emergency matters and to access other police services. (Pioneer Publishers)
  2. Diablo Magazine has come up with a list of restaurant staff recommendations to try in 2022. "Must try" recommendations stretch from Albany to Walnut Creek and everything in between. I think I'm up for a beautiful Greek brunch at Elia to start the new year! (Diablo Magazine)
  3. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is calling on the region's residents to forego burning wood in their fireplaces and wood stoves this weekend to prevent air pollution. The district has also asked residents to not set off fireworks, which can also contribute to air pollution and create excess smoke and ash. According to the district, wood smoke contains small particles and carcinogens that can make the air unhealthy, especially for children, older adults and people suffering from respiratory illnesses. Bay Area residents can find air quality information from the district by visiting www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org. (Claycord.com)
  4. A man wanted in connection with the theft of a Chevy Silverado pickup truck led police from multiple jurisdictions on a wild chase along much of the 24/680 before his vehicle – running on metal rims after its tires were flattened by police – caught fire and burned at the Wilder offramp in Orinda. Local police and California Highway Patrol officers searched the area after receiving reports of a man running from the burning truck, which was eventually totally engulfed. (News 24/680)

Today in Concord:

  • If a Tree Falls: Art of the Boundary Oak at Lesher Center for the Arts, memorializes the City of Walnut Creek's signature Valley Oak, which tragically fell during a massive windstorm in October 2019. (12:00 Noon)
  • Come out for the The Hangover Party New Years Day with DJ J Espinosa + The Mullet Mechanix at Retro Junkie in Walnut Creek. (7:00 PM)
  • Sing your way into the new year with karaoke at Round Up Saloon in Lafayette. (9:00 PM)
  • Crosstown 5 will be at Dan's Irish Sports Bar (are there Irish sports??) in Walnut Creek. (9:30 PM)

From my notebook:

  • East Bay Regional Parks has issued its annual wild mushroom warning. As a reminder, The Bay Area is home to two of the world's most toxic mushrooms – Amanita phalloides (the Death Cap) and Amanita ocreata (the Western Destroying Angel). Both of these species contain amatoxins, a group of molecules that inhibit cellular metabolism. Symptoms don't usually appear until up to 12 hours after consumption, beginning as severe gastrointestinal distress and progressing to liver and renal failure if treatment is not sought immediately. (ebparks.org)
  • Guest speaker Dr. Michael Baker will discuss the importance of the Koreas to their neighbors and world commerce in a webinar presentation titled "Crisis on the Korean Peninsula and a Rational Way Forward," Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. This is the first of 2022's First Friday Forum lecture series presented by Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church.
  • Not only is it New Years Day, it is also National Bloody Mary Day! In Concord, Yelpers recommend Eureka for their "hair of the dog" beverage.

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with a new update!

— Jeri Karges

About me: Jeri Karges has been living in and loving the Sacramento region for over 30 years. Her passion is finding new and unique ways to enjoy the city and surrounding areas. On weekends, you can find her pestering her friends to sample the restaurant that doesn't have silverware, or try their hand at throwing an axe. Jeri also enjoys writing about retirement planning at https://rockinretirement.subst...

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