News and Features
News: Stories covering Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and surrounding areas.
Weekly Summaries/So This Happened: Our weekly roundup of news.
Pioneer Newspaper PDF archive: Read past issues of the monthly print paper in PDF format. We have issues going back to 2003.
News by City
- Concord: News from Concord, CA.
- Clayton: News from Clayton, CA.
- Pleasant Hill: News from Pleasant Hill, CA.
News by Category
Obituaries: Obituaries for Concord, Clayton, Pleasant Hill and surrounding communities.
Sports: News and athlete profiles from local teams and alumni, sports organizations and more.
Crime: Police reports and news about criminal activity.
Performing Arts: Reviews and promotions for local theater productions and live music events.
From the Desk of: News and commentary from city, county and state officials.
Schools: News, features and accomplishments from the schools serving Concord, Clayton and Pleasant Hill.
Pioneer Columnists
Our columnists each bring you their personal reflections on a variety topics from restaurants to films to gardening to pet care, and more.
Recent Pioneer stories:
Urgent call for Red Cross volunteers
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 23, 2024) — The American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region is still urgently seeking ...
Preserving your mental health in today’s workplace
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 23, 2024) — Work, American style, has undergone a sea change in the last few ...
Concord council reviews goals, from homelessness to climate change
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 23, 2024) — Every spring, the City Council holds a Saturday session for goal setting wherein the ...
Prescribed burning at Mount Diablo State Park will begin in May
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 22, 2024) — California State Parks will perform a series of prescribed burns on ten ...
Low-intensity fires will help lessen risk on Mount Diablo
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 22, 2024) — In a move that makes good on a promise made decades ago, ...
Shoplifting leads the way as Concord chief details 2023 crime
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 22, 2024) — In a surprise to no one, Police Chief Mark Bustillos reported an increase in ...
The Pioneer’s Spring 2024 calendar of events and activities, April 21 update
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA, (April 21, 2024) — The Pioneer Calendar lists local events, performances and activities for the whole ...
So This Happened…Week of April 15 through 21, 2024
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 21, 2024) — After a referendum drive failed, Concord enacted its new Residential Tenant Protection ...
Schools, police react quickly to defuse bomb threat made to area campuses
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 21, 2024) — A handful of schools in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District were among dozens ...
Cleaning Up Clayton — Annual community event brings young and old together to tidy town
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 21, 2024) —From toddlers to grandparents, residents in Clayton scoured the town for trash at Saturday's Clayton ...
Two county programs help preserve open spaces, waterways
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 20, 2024) — Contra Costa County is known for its beautiful open spaces and natural ...
Questions – like flowers – abound this time of year
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 20, 2024) — Spring is in full swing at the nursery, leading to lots of questions. What ...
Northgate High grad Ben Midanek named chief marketing officer at national internet company
WALNUT CREEK, CA (Apr. 20, 2024) — Ben Midanek from Walnut Creek, CA., and graduate of Northgate High School, has ...
Pleasant Hill Police arrest 2 suspects in March 19 shooting deaths case
PLEASANT HILL, CA (Apr. 19, 2024) — Pleasant Hill Police investigators made two arrests in connection with a March 19, ...
Clayton names interim city manager, begins work on Trails Assessment
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 19, 2024) — At our March 19 meeting, the City Council approved the search process for hiring ...
Listen to new local music at home, then hear them in person
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 19, 2024) — We’re a third of the way into 2024, and we already have ...
Concord enacts rent ordinance after referendum withdrawn
Council to reexamine single-family home rules at May meeting. CONCORD, CA (Apr. 18, 2024) — The city’s new rent ordinance ...
Concord Police arrest report for the week of April 10 through 16, 2024
CONCORD, CA (April 18, 2024) — The report below shows arrests made by the Concord Police Department from April 10 ...
Clayton Art and Wine a proud tradition of local fun
CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 18, 2024) — Given the ongoing popularity of the Art & Wine Festival, organizers are relying on ...
Pleasant Hill toasts city/park employees, nonprofits
PLEASANT HILL, CA (Apr. 18, 2024) — On May 2, the Pleasant Hill Community Foundation (PHCF) will recognize nonprofits improving ...
Clayton Valley voices rise to the top at choir competition
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 18, 2024) — Clayton Valley Charter High School’s choirs swept the awards as part of the World ...
Concord Police will Conduct DUI Patrols this Friday
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 17, 2024) — The Concord Police Department will be out April 19, 2024 from 7:00 p.m. to ...
Dueling priests, scandalous letters and the candy man
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 17, 2024) — Can a young upstart teach an older, settled priest some new tricks? ...
Concord to review signatures challenging rent ordinance
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 17, 2024) — As the deadline approached, about 100 residents canvassed the town gathering signatures for a ...
Get ready for a blueberry bonanza at Concord’s farmers market
“You ought to have seen what I saw on my way To the village, through Mortenson’s pasture to-day: Blueberries as ...
Keys to successful resolution with neighbors
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 16, 2024) — Q. We are new to our neighborhood and first-time homeowners. People here ...
The fun will flow at Pleasant Hill’s gatherings
PLEASANT HILL, CA (Apr. 16, 2024) — As we head into summer, I’d like to extend an invitation to come ...
Concord’s Music & Market Concert Series returns June 6
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 15, 2024) — The City of Concord has announced that its popular concert series, Music & Market, ...
The Pioneer’s Spring 2024 calendar of events and activities, April 14 update
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA, (April 14, 2024) — The Pioneer Calendar lists local events, performances and activities for the whole ...
So This Happened…Week of April 8 through 14, 2024
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Apr. 14, 2024) — Clayton native Kara Kohler qualified for her third Olympics in rowing, competing ...