Strange... But True

You see and hear some pretty nutty stuff in this job from time to time. The really strange part of it is... a lot of it turns out to be true.

  Customers at a Lafayette Starbucks had a front row seat to one of life's little dramas Wednesday as their morning routine was broken by a commotion and sounds of yelling outside the establishment -- followed by the sight of a rather large, out of breath man in a distinctive black trench coat and "rainbow colored" stocking cap scurrying inside and locking himself in the bathroom. Patrons tell Patch there were a few "exchanged looks" and "raised eyebrows" but the coffee tipling resumed until the sound of footfalls heralded the arrival of Lafayette's gendarmerie, hot on the trail of a suspected car burglar. The description of the burglar? Yep, tall, black trench coat, rainbow beanie. After a brief standoff the police extricated the person …

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Lafayette Ponders New BART Location for Farmers Market

Supporters say the Lafayette Plaza location was a little too cramped and surrounded by traffic to be viable. They're hoping a new location in the Lafayette BART parking lot will be the answer for people looking to buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

  A well-attended Farmers Market held on a trial basis at Lafayette Plaza last year proved a little too cramped and hemmed in by traffic, organizers maintain. They hope a new location in the BART parking lot proves to be more successful. The Lafayette City Council supports the idea, but is attempting to work out some issues with signage for the weekly events.

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Wight House Wrong for Lafayette?

Neighbors and ridgeland protectionists are carefully watching a plan for a 10,000 square foot home in Lafayette.

  Steve and Linda Wight would like to build their new home on a 15-acre ridgeline site at the end of Monticello Road in Lafayette. The couple's architect says their plans for a three-story, 10,388 square foot home were drawn with taste and concern for its ridgeline environs. The neighbors -- and the City of Lafayette -- aren't so sure. The Lafayette City Council Monday continued a hearing on the Wight's appeal of the city Planning Commission's denial of their request for a hillside development permit to July 9, with neighbors carefully watching the outcome. Peter Clark, director of the Happy Valley Improvement Association, cited several areas of concern the association has with the project, but ended a letter to the council by saying that…

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Andrew L.

11:09 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012

Well said. I was disappointed upon returning to the East Bay to see the three monstrosities looming above 680S in Alamo. I hope such monuments to excess will be curbed, or at least be more tasteful.   more ›

The Crime Files

Granny Scam Works Again -- This Time for $5,100

One of the most nefarious cons around is aimed at a Moraga resident and works -- again.

  Sigh. This almost hurts too much to write about. If you read us you know about our campaign to inform caregivers and relatives and seniors about a particularly insidious scam aimed at the elderly. Well, the con men have done it again. Moraga police were dispatched to an address on Sullivan Drive on May 4 and contacted a pair of grandparents who had just become the latest victims of the so-called "Granny Scam." Officers determined that someone posing as the couple's grandson contacted them by phone and convinced them he was in trouble -- in Canada -- and that he needed them to send money via Western Union to a location there or he would never see the light of day. Another sigh. The kindly couple did as they were asked, wiring $5,100 to an…

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Use a Jackhammer Before 8 A.M., Get Cited -- Sometimes

We've seen some pretty early construction starts around town, lately. In this case, at least, it ended with a citizen's arrest -- and a citation.

  Although many Patchers have complained about early construction noise at sites around town and have written asking why nothing is done, a resident in the 1100 block of Larch Avenue got some satisfaction on May 3 -- up to and including placing the offending noisemaker under citizen's arrest. Patch has heard of heavy equipment moving on some job sites around town as early as 5:30 a.m. Of course, the town's ordinance regulating construction noise states that quiet must be preserved until 8 a.m., but many residents say they just put up with the noise and others say they feel they have no recourse. Not so on Larch, apparently, when at least one irate homeowner called police to report that the saws and hammers were starting up a little early …

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Tagger Defaces Commons Bathroom

The question that comes to mind is: why?

  Moraga town workers were called on to remove some stubborn spray paint left behind by a graffiti tagger who, apparently, does his best work in the Moraga Commons bathroom. Workers found the scrawls and numbers in silver paint on May 3, and police said it looks like the scribbler struck between 5:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. that morning. The price tag for Moragans? At least $1,000 to remove the bathroom scribble. Additional graffiti was also found at the skate park, according to police.

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