🌱Reasonable Rents In Concord + Clayton & Pittsburg Arsonists

Jeri Karges
Updated ·4 min read

Good morning, neighbors! Jeri Karges here with the Thursday issue of the Concord Daily.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 63 Low: 38.

Are you a local business owner or marketer in Concord? We want to start connecting local businesses with our amazing readers. Click here to learn how it works.

Here are the top five stories today in Concord:

  1. Apartment rental website Zumper compiled a list of the median rents for 19 Bay Area cities and found that people can get a one-bedroom unit for less than $2,000 per month in just five of them. Vallejo tops the list at just over $1,500 a month for a one-bedroom, with Concord coming in a respectable second with median rents in the $1,800 range. (NBC Bay Area)

  2. Contra Costa County fire officials on Tuesday announced arrests in two separate arsons in recent days. The first incident happened on Friday outside a restaurant and bike shop at 1500 Kirker Pass Rd. in Clayton. Investigators said a man was seen in surveillance video igniting a fire and then adding cardboard and wood to the flames, before leaving the area. The man, identified as 57-year-old Kevin Cooper of Concord was arrested and charged with arson to an inhabited structure. Then, on Saturday, Con Fire and Pittsburg police responded to the 3700 block of Railroad Ave., where a person was reported to be opening fire hydrants. Investigators said at the scene, a man identified as Dennis Wolfenbarger told the emergency crews that he had started a fire at a nearby business that was unoccupied. Wolfenbarger, 42, of Oakley, was arrested on charges of arson to property and tampering with a utility. Both he and Cooper were transported to the Martinez Detention Facility. (KTVU San Francisco)

  3. People in a homeless encampment in Concord have been ordered to leave. The encampment formed back in 2018 sits along two blocks of San Miguel Road underneath the BART tracks. Half of the 25 campers are planning on staying put despite a Wednesday deadline, according to the Mercury News. (KTVU San Francisco)

  4. Residents reported police activity in the Northgate neighborhood Tuesday after a trio of burglars successfully breached one home and are believed to have attempted entry into another. It was not immediately known if any arrests were made or the extent of the loss to the homeowners. (News 24/680)

From our sponsor:

Hey Concord, are you looking to buy a house, refinance or just explore your options? Check out the new Patch Mortgage Center for all your home financing needs!

Today in Concord:

  • Get the scoop on the joys of caring for puppies and dogs in your home at this online Dog Foster Orientation presented by Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation. (2:00 PM)

  • Join a live Q&A forum to get answers to your questions about COVID vaccines with Dr. Ori Tzvieli from Contra Costa County Health. Register for the Zoom webinar with your email. Registration is required. (4:00 PM)

  • Come on out for our free line dancing classes every Thursday at Bourbon Highway Country Bar & Kitchen. (8:00 PM)

  • Try your feet at Salsa Dancing Thursday at Vinnie's Bar & Grill. (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • It is almost time to prune your rose bushes, groundcover roses and rose trees. According to the Garden Girl at R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Garden in Clayton, they prune roses between Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day. Get all your pruning tips here!

  • Since 1968, the Kennedy-King Memorial College Scholarship Fund has awarded nearly $6 million to more than 900 Contra Costa County community college students transferring to comprehensive universities. The application period is open through Feb. 4. (Pioneer Publishers)

  • On Sunday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m., the entertaining concert series “Live at the Orinda” will celebrate tunes from Freda Payne’s recent album release, Let There Be Love. Payne plans to sing some tunes pulled from her role of Ella Fitzgerald, which she has performed three times. (The Orinda News)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

Gigs & services:

Other classifieds:

Loving the Concord Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

You're all caught up for today! See you all tomorrow for another 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