Features

Piedmont looking to leash dogs 

PIEDMONT – The Piedmont City Council is hoping to breed a little harmony between dog walkers and park users. 

City rules are being refined to ban off-leash dog running except in designated zones of parks. The city’s public works department would post signs outlining the rules for those areas. 

Dogs using the off-leash areas would need to have proper vaccination records and a current dog license. Misbehaving pooches that don’t play well with others would be ejected from the dog run area. 

Minor quake hits Richmond 

RICHMOND – A minor earthquake rattled Richmond Saturday morning. 

The quake occurred at 9:49 a.m. and registered magnitude 2.6, according to the United States Geological Survey. 

The epicenter of the quake was about two miles north of Richmond. No damage or injuries have been reported. 

This man is  

his own island 

WALNUT CREEK – No man is an island – unless of course that man is Ellis Stephens. 

Stephens owns Quimby Island in the delta. He bought the 789-acre property in 1989 and now the self-made millionaire wants to leave the island to his grandchildren. 

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors likes the idea and last month agreed to eliminate the potential for future development on the island by rezoning it to an agricultural preserve. 

The island is home to pheasants, foxes and coyotes and Stephens, a retired military intelligence worker now dabbling in the stock market, has created wetlands and ponds to keep them all content. 

“I’m 80 years old. What am I supposed to do? Sit on my butt all day?” Stephens said.