Walmart, the retail behemoth, is scaling back its Bay Area presence by shuttering an East Bay store in Fremont. Set to close on May 24, the location at 40580 Albrae St. is ceasing operations, affecting 156 employees, who have been allowed to transfer to other nearby Walmart stores. The announcement came on Thursday, marking a strategic move by the retailer in response to the underperforming financial outcomes of this specific branch. Retail insiders suggest that businesses often face tough decisions regarding profitability and streamlining operations, and this store's shutdown appears to resul ..read more

A routine trip to Costco turned chaotic for thousands in Concord's East Bay as a refrigerant leak prompted an evacuation of the wholesale giant, authorities said. Approximately 1,000 people, including customers and employees, were hustled out of the store on Monument Boulevard after a white cloud of potentially hazardous gas sent a wave of alarm on Wednesday afternoon. According to KRON4, the Contra Costa County Fire Department responded to the call at 2:06 p.m., when employees and patrons noticed the ominous vapor. The incident led to an almost cinematic exodus of some 800 shoppers and 200 st ..read more

A family of four met a tragic end on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton as their vehicle swerved off the road and collided with a tree late Wednesday evening. The Pleasanton Police Department disclosed the fatal crash details around 9 p.m. Due to the ongoing investigation and the process of notifying the next of kin, the names of the deceased, including two adults and two children under age 15, remain withheld, the department stated. The authorities have stated speed might have been a pivotal factor in the accident. Desperate efforts were made to render aid to one of the ch ..read more

Marc Simon, a 27-year-old transient man, has been arrested and charged with crimes involving children after a tense investigation by the Walnut Creek Police Department. The arrest followed an April 11 incident at the downtown library on North Broadway, where Simon allegedly attempted to kidnap a child. Simon faces a slew of charges, including two counts of lewd act upon a child, attempted kidnapping for child molesting, and possession of over 600 images of child pornography, according to officials. Simon's bail has been set at a steep $2,000,000. In their persistent efforts to unearth the trut ..read more

In a significant crackdown on crime in the East Bay, law enforcement has finally put cuffs on three suspects wanted for a series of armed robberies, ending a seven-month crime spree that terrorized local businesses. The suspects, nabbed in a joint operation spearheaded by the Hayward Police and aided by federal agencies, face many charges. Alleged ringleader 42-year-old Jaray Washington, along with his accomplices, 24-year-old Cameron Watkins and 26-year-old Deante Hunt, are suspected in 11 robberies that struck fear in seven cities across the Bay Area. Washington, hailing from Oakland, was ar ..read more

The Berkeley Police Department has charged a 52-year-old Oakland man in connection with a shooting that occurred two weeks ago in West Berkeley. According to authorities, the arrest was made on April 22 following an intensive investigation led by local detectives. The trouble began midday, April 11, when a spat over a parking space escalated dangerously in front of an apartment complex at the 900 block of Channing Way. A witness recounted how, after the heated exchange, the suspect allegedly let off a single shot at the victim while making his getaway. The victim was unharmed. Despite the near ..read more

In a crackdown against organized retail theft, the San Ramon Police have cuffed two women for swiping a staggering haul of high-end makeup wares. Over $13,000 worth of cosmetics were lifted from a Sephora store in the plush City Center at Bishop Ranch, the department revealed in a statement. Tips and diligent sleuthing led law enforcement to trace the products back to a fencing operation hustling stolen goods in Oakland. The cosmetics caper unraveled further when a coordinated sting on Wednesday saw the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office, in concert with bulldogs from the San Ramon Police Department a ..read more

A video released Wednesday by Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, showed Berkeley native Hersh Goldberg-Polin alive after nearly seven months of captivity. The 23-year-old Israeli-American was taken hostage during a terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. According to a report by SFist, the proof-of-life footage marks 200 days since his capture and was confirmed to be legitimate by his parents. The video emerged as the Goldberg-Polin family expressed relief but remained deeply concerned for his well-being, considering Hersh's arm was blown off when he was attempting to throw back a gre ..read more

A Bay Point family is desperately searching for answers after the body of their 15-year-old girl, Jázmin Pellegrini, was discovered in an SF driveway, days after she was reported missing. Following her release from a psychiatric facility, Pellegrini was last seen by her family on Wednesday night around 11:30 pm. Her body was found Saturday morning, lying face down near the intersection of Lobos Street and Plymouth Avenue, as per a report by SFist. Despite the police stating an absence of evidence for foul play at the scene, Pellegrini's family is stricken with doubt and grief. According to a T ..read more

Early risers in Oakland were met with billowing smoke and sirens as the Oakland Fire Department tackled a blaze in an apartment building at the corner of 60th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The fire was first reported in a tweet by the Oakland Fire Department, confirming their response to the working fire and the need for traffic control assistance from the Oakland Police Department. Evidence of the fire department's resolve came swiftly as Update 1 from the same source confirmed the fire had been knocked down, though not without consequence—two ambulances were requested at the sc ..read more