🌱East Bay Crumbl Cookies Fined + Another Martinez Refinery Flaring

Hey, Concord! I'm here in your inbox per usual to get you caught up on everything you need to know that's going on around town. In today's issue, we have these stories and more:

• The Bay Area "spare the air" alert will continue through Christmas Day.
• Paint the leg lamp from A Christmas Story at Painting with a Twist today!
• A photographer in Concord captured some beautiful images of a red-shouldered hawk in his backyard.

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But first, today's weather:

Areas of fog, then sun. High: 60 Low: 40.

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Here are the top stories in Concord today:

1. Concord, Brentwood and San Ramon Crumbl Cookies franchises were fined for child labor violations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. The locations were accused of violations pertaining to working more hours than the law permits, or working in hazardous or prohibited occupations. (Concord Patch)
2. The Martinez Refinery had another flaring event on Thursday night. The Contra Costa Health Department said "there is no imminent health risk to the community at this time" from the flare-up. "We apologize for impacting some of our neighbors and thank our employees who safely responded," the refinery said. (Claycord.com)
3. Twenty-eight high school senior athletes from Carondelet, Clayton Valley Charter, De La Salle and Northgate high schools made commitments to colleges for next year. "The signees will be playing baseball, swimming, soccer, beach volleyball, water polo, basketball, softball, wrestling and golf starting in the fall." Congratulations to all! (Pioneer Publishers)
4. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a "spare the air" alert, to continue through Christmas Day. You may not burn any wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel either indoors or outdoors. "Unfortunately, weather conditions are leading to significant smoke pollution buildup throughout the region that is expected to cause unhealthy air quality through the Christmas holiday," said Sharon Landers, interim executive officer of the Air District. (Contra Costa News)

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Today in Concord:

• Free gift wrapping ends today at Somersville Town Center in Antioch. (11:00 AM)
• Paint a "Leg Lamp" at Painting with a Twist in Pleasant Hill. Mimosas are just $4. (2:30 PM)
• There will be a Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Service at Unity of Walnut Creek Sanctuary. (8:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• "Great work by K9 Nikki this week. She was called to assist our SET Team on a traffic stop. Nikki located the methamphetamine and two arrests were made. Great teamwork by all!" (Concord Police K9 Association via Facebook)
• "Look at these beautiful images captured by our good friend 'Rebel' in Concord. The Red Shouldered Hawks were in his backyard earlier this week." (Claycord.com)
• "Explore the fantastic lives of beetles, millipedes, tarantulas, walking sticks, whip scorpions and more! Presenters from SaveNature.org will introduce the extraordinarily diverse world of insects and other arthropods and teach you about their key role in the web of life" at the Moraga Library on January 5.

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll see you 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...

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Concord Daily? Contact me at Concord-Ca@Patch.com