OAKLEY — A DUI crash early Monday morning killed a driver in rural East Contra Costa County, police said. Related Articles Crashes and Disasters | Fourth deceased victim identified in Pleasanton electric vehicle crash Crashes and Disasters | Prosecutors file charges against Northern California man who left child in running truck that killed 2-year-old Crashes and Disasters | One dead, one injured in two-vehicle crash near Gilroy Crashes and Disasters | Man killed, three children injured in South San Jose crash Crashes and Disasters | One killed, two injured in East Bay collision involvin ..read more

BRENTWOOD — Two decades after it was first proposed, a regional amphitheater and event center project in southern Brentwood is on hold, with a smaller, outdoor community-oriented performance venue now planned. Costs have skyrocketed from $8 million to $14.5 million in the first phase of The Vineyards at Marsh Creek amphitheater/event center. The City Council, at a special meeting on Tuesday, was asked by staff whether to continue the project in south Brentwood, to pause it or to revisit its scope. In January, the council directed staff to move forward with an environmental review and examine s ..read more

California’s population grew for the first time in three years as legal immigration rebounded and the great California exodus during the COVID pandemic dramatically slowed as remote workers returned to the office, according to a state report released Tuesday. The overall population gains were relatively small — a net increase of some 67,000 people to raise California’s population to 39.1 million people in 2023, according to the California Department of Finance. Some Bay Area counties lost population, including Alameda and San Mateo, as layoffs took hold last year and residents continued to see ..read more

U.S. health officials are closely monitoring the recent leap of avian flu from birds to cattle — and earlier this month, to a Texas dairy farmer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the current public health risk is low — the virus isn’t known to spread among people or through the food supply, is rarely caught from exposure to infected animals, and where human infections have occurred, is often mild and manageable. But the leap of the H5N1 influenza strain, widespread among wild fowl and a regular threat to domestic poultry, into cattle was unexpected, and a worrisome devel ..read more

In California, rattlesnakes bite about 800 people in a typical year; approximately two are fatal in a year. The threat usually begins in April and will decrease by September. Rattlesnakes are not confined to rural areas. They have been found near urban areas, rivers, lakes and golf courses. Rattlesnakes do not always rattle before striking defensively. Related Articles Environment | Bird flu’s disturbing new turn into cattle — are California herds safe? Environment | Northern California dog owners warned by state wildlife officials to keep their canines away from raw fish Environment | Giv ..read more

Alexis Gabe disappeared more than two years ago, prompting a massive search, homicide investigation and outpouring of grief and assistance from her East Bay community that closely followed the controversial mystery every step of the way. Gabe, a 23-year-old Oakley resident, seemingly vanished after showing up to the Antioch home of her ex-boyfriend, Marshall Curtis Jones III, at around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2022. Jones, 27, became the prime suspect almost instantly; his suspicious movements, Google searches and a handwritten note deepened those suspicions. Jones would die in a hail of police g ..read more

OAKLEY — A policy to guide council members in their personal social media postings passed its first hurdle Tuesday. Though Oakley City Attorney Derek Cole cautioned the city cannot control a councilmembers’ speech on personal social media and has “limited ability” to enforce such a policy, council members still wanted to have a policy in place to give to new members at the start of their terms. Cole explained that private social media accounts belong to the council members and are protected by the First Amendment. As such, the city cannot impose rules that forbid council members from engaging ..read more

OAKLEY – This city has crossed one of the final hurdles to expand a rural two-lane road that has often become congested during emergencies and is the only way out for some residents. After an agreement to bury a Contra Costa Water District canal that stood in its way, a stretch of East Cypress Road can now be widened. For residents in the growing far eastern Oakley and Bethel Island area, where thousands of homes are planned, it has served as a thoroughfare, with the only other escape through narrow private roads during a catastrophe, such as the wind-swept fires that led to evacuati ..read more

Like many folks, Erin Green spent a lot of time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was homeschooling her then-10-year-old son Nigel, working in her garden and baking — a lot. Little did she know then that her hobbies would intersect. As the Oakley mom dabbled more into baking and gardening, growing herbs, vegetables and lettuce for fresh salads, her thoughts turned to future business ventures. First up was finding a natural fertilizer for her garden. She was frightened by chickens but delighted with the thought of ducks waddling around fertilizing her large back yard and eating any harm ..read more

OAKLEY — The grief is always there, but for the family of an Oakley woman brutally killed more than two years ago, finding justice will help to bring some closure they have long hoped for. Alexis Gabe, then 23, vanished on Jan. 26, 2022, after visiting her ex-boyfriend in Antioch. Her case drew national attention, including help from the KlaasKids Foundation, as volunteers near and far searched the East Bay and the Sierra Foothills looking for her remains. Police early on suspected Gabe’s ex-boyfriend, Marshall Curtis Jones, but on June 1, 2022, he was fatally shot when, armed with a knife, he ..read more