🌱 Concord Lightning Knocks Out Lights + 6th Grader Packs Heat

Jeri Karges
Updated ·4 min read

Welcome back, Concord! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note. Here's everything going on today in town.

First, today's weather:

A shower; windy in the p.m.. High: 61 Low: 41.

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Here are the top five stories in Concord today:

  1. A band of thunderstorms moving through the East Bay early Thursday delivered a wild mix of lightning, hail and high winds, the National Weather Service said. The weather service issued a special weather statement warning of hail and winds up to 30 mph in a pocket of the East Bay stretching between Walnut Creek, Antioch and Byron. The severe weather came as a storm system from the Gulf of Alaska reached the San Francisco Bay Area. (SF Gate)

  2. About 1,700 homes and businesses were without power in Concord on Thursday. The outage was reported along the area surrounding Concord Blvd., west of Kirker Pass and north of Clayton Road. The cause was lightning that struck a power pole. (Claycord.com)

  3. On Wednesday, the Antioch Unified School District confirmed that a student brought a gun onto campus at MNO Grant Elementary School in the City of Antioch. The student was a 6th grader. According to Antioch Unified School District Superintendent Stephanie Anello, they could not release much information on the incident as it is an ongoing police matter. All further inquiries were directed to Antioch Police. (East County Today)

  4. Community Reads for Kids is a countywide reading program that encourages everyone in our community to read and discuss the same book. This year, they are reading The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish by Karina Yan Glaser. The library will host a virtual book discussion on March 29 leading up to a live Zoom event with the author on April 13. Register here with your email to attend each event. (ccclib.org)

  5. Beginning on March 1, Contra Costa Animal Services (CCAS) resumed taking spay and neuter appointments for owned pets in Contra Costa County. Surgery appointments will be available Tuesdays-Fridays at CCAS’s Martinez shelter. To schedule an appointment, please visit the Department’s Spay/Neuter & Vaccination Clinic Page. (East County Today)

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Today in Concord:

  • Join the Benicia Historical Museum for another First Fridays at the museum. (5:00 PM)

  • Duo Gadjo will be at Roxx on Main in Martinez. (7:00 PM)

  • The Fabulous CruiseTones will be at the Elks Lodge in Walnut Creek (7:30 PM)

  • Kid Dynamite will be at Dan's Irish Sports Bar in Walnut Creek. (9:30 PM)

From my notebook:

  • Weather wild enough for you? What's next? Here's the Concord weather forecast for the weekend ahead. (Concord Patch)

  • From the desk of Alison McKee, County Librarian: I am pleased and excited to share that last week the County Board of Supervisors voted to award Measure X funding for several new impactful Library projects, services, initiatives. Four million dollars in one-time funds will address deferred maintenance on five county-owned library buildings. The Library also received $200,000 in ongoing funding to staff a new early literacy outreach program. Read the full letter here.

  • COVID-19 testing is now available by appointment at the Concord Senior Center (2727 Parkside Cir.). Testing is set up on the front patio of the Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made by visiting cur.tv/concord, or calling 888-702-9042.

  • Check out this pic from the Claycord Online Museum of a ticket for Frank Sinatra & Don Rickles at The Concord Pavilion.

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

  • Free 3 EZ Steps for More Clients NOW Online Webinar (Live Q&A) (March 4)

  • Blues Rock: AJ Crawdaddy at Almost Famous Wine Lounge (March 4)

  • Forejour: The Ultimate Tribute to FOREigner and JOURney Live at the Lesher Center for the Arts! (March 12)

  • Contra Costa Wind Symphony - "Myths, Legends and Epic Tales" (March 20)

  • Employment for Everyone: Award-Winning Film Showcases at the Bankhead (March 26)

  • Add your event

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That's it for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with your next 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...

This article originally appeared on the Concord Patch