Hercules News

Bob Boldt, Boundary Oaks' longtime golf superintendent, relaxes Friday, June 26, 2009 at the Walnut Creek municipal golf course he's managed for 32 years.

The Pack Test that appears to have spurred a drive to oust the Rodeo-Hercules fire chief and suspend or remove a district board member is at the center of a statewide debate involving wildland fire experts, fire chiefs and unions on how to gauge firefighter fitness to fight wildland fires.

The Rodeo-Hercules Fire board on Thursday censured member Bill Prather, accusing him of creating a hostile working environment in connection with his comment at a February board meeting that 5-foot-2 women are unqualified to be firefighters.

STEPHANIE WONG is spending part of the summer before her senior year at El Cerrito High School in the waters off the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Contra Costa Coroner's Office has identified a man who was struck and killed Tuesday afternoon when a carjacker tried to commandeer a truck belonging to the victim's friend.

A special board meeting on the fate of Rodeo-Hercules Fire Chief Gary Boyles fizzled Monday when an exiled board member attended over the objections of the Fire District's attorney.

A family was displaced by a two-alarm blaze early Sunday that destroyed the garage and second floor of their home and took the life of their dog.

Cuts to administrator jobs in the Pinole Fire Department threaten the existence of Battalion 7, a team of six fire stations in three agencies that functions as one department for a large chunk of West Contra Costa, some fire officials warn.

Two cats and an iguana were rescued from a two-alarm fire that destroyed a Hercules house early Sunday morning, but a dog and another cat were not as lucky, a battalion chief said.

A University of Pittsburgh anthropologist argues in a paper published today that humans most likely share a common ancestor with orangutans, and not chimpanzees, which is the prevailing belief.

At the San Diego County Fair, you can meet Hercules, a horse so huge that he looks super-sized. Billed as "The Giant Horse," the 13-year-old Brabant stands six-feet-six inches at the shoulder, weighs approximately 3,000 pounds and eats an entire bale of hay a day plus 10 pounds of grain.

A recent rash of safety problems at West Contra Costa school campuses has some mulling the need for an additional police presence at middle schools, but budget shortfalls could threaten the idea before it gains ground.

Seven graduating seniors from John Swett High School were given some assistance toward their continued education with scholarships from the Carquinez Women's Club.

Hercules police say they confiscated more than 15 illegal assault weapons at a single-family house Thursday morning during the execution of a search warrant.

A celebration of Philippine Independence Day will feature food, music, exhibits and family fun from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Hercules Library, 109 Civic Drive.

A Richmond car dealership leads East Bay businesses on the List of California's Top 250 Sales Tax Debtors.

Hercules officials on Monday made available details of a tentative sublease with The Powder Keg Pub at 2132 Railroad Ave.

School Relocation Meeting: A public meeting to discuss the possible relocation of Portola Middle School to the El Cerrito High School campus is scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the multipurpose room at the high school, 540 Ashbury Ave.

Multiple agencies participate in sex-offender sweep: Authorities arrested 11 suspects after an evening-long round of checks Thursday to ensure that Richmond-area sex offenders were complying with terms of their probation or parole.

The city is now accepting submissions by residents of high-quality images for its second annual Hercules Photo Contest.