Pleasant Hill, CA|News|
Weekend Events: Mangini Farms BBQ, American Iron Car Show & More
Looking for things to do in Pleasant Hill this weekend? See what's happening around town Aug. 9 to 11.

I grew up in the rural green belt of London, England where I fell in love with literature and literary history. During my undergraduate degree at the University of Kent in Canterbury, and namely an exchange year abroad at UCLA, that love for literature transitioned into a passion for journalism and California sunshine. I moved to Los Angeles in 2007 to pursue an MA degree in journalism at USC and continue a freelance career in multimedia storytelling. And I have never looked back.
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My experience includes local, national and international reporting for news outlets such as the LA Weekly, Southern California Public Radio and the New Zealand Herald Tribune. My fascination with hyper-local journalism spawned a thesis about the future of the industry (titled, Can Grassroots Journalism Help Underserved Communities?) and, in 2008, led me to help found a hyper-local website covering South Los Angeles. I was managing editor until early 2011, when Patch became my next adventure.
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Now I live in Concord with my husband, reading, writing, exploring the Bay Area and continuing to drink my tea with milk.
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Beliefs:
1. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. - Plato.
2. Never discuss religion or politics at the dinner table.
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Politics: I am a registered Democrat with an open mind to all opinions and factual arguments. I believe that the mind should be a thoroughfare for all thoughts and not a select party.
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Religion: Non-denominational Christian, with an almost pantheistic love for the outdoors and a strong appreciation for being still (Psalm 46:10.)
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Local Hot-Button Issues: Social justice issues that affect quality of life or access to opportunities, including education, immigration, health care and social welfare.
Looking for things to do in Pleasant Hill this weekend? See what's happening around town Aug. 9 to 11.

The Clayton police activity report from Aug. 2 to Aug. 8 includes an arrest for driving without a valid license, registration or insurance.
Have the time of your life reliving 1987's "Dirty Dancing" at the Century 16 theater in downtown Pleasant Hill Sunday and Wednesday.
Looking for things to do in Concord this weekend? See what's happening around town Aug. 9 to 11.
Here are the showtimes for the movies playing at the Solano West Wind drive-in movie theater in Concord, Friday, Aug. 9 to Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013.
Registration is open for the 9th Annual Community Service Day on Sept. 28.
Concord Patch shows the blocks where residential, commercial and vehicle burglaries occurred in the city. Burglary data is provided by the Concord Police Department.
The new breakfast menu includes an almost traditional British "fry-up," but the pub is playing to its American crowd.
Twelve more birds were found across Contra Costa County testing positive for the virus. Wear spray outdoors to protect yourself, especially in the coming months.
Twelve more birds were found across Contra Costa County testing positive for the virus. Wear spray outdoors to protect yourself, especially in the coming months.
Community members joined the Concord Police Department for a "Night Out Against Crime" Tuesday.
A statewide Amber Alert got phones across California beeping in unison Monday night. Some may opt to turn it off — but others ask, "why?"
A statewide Amber Alert got phones across California beeping in unison Monday night. Some may opt to turn it off — but others ask, "why?"
The 4th Annual Rib Cook-Off takes place at the Clayton Club on Aug. 10.
The Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association is holding a "Love My Market" photo competition throughout August.
The Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association is holding a "Love My Market" photo competition throughout August.
The Pleasant Hill Teen Center is hosting an open house on Aug. 21 to showcase classes and activities planned for fall.