http://www.sanramonexpress.com If it is local and useful, it is on SanRamonExpress.com. en-us Livermore Valley Opera presents internationally acclaimed tenor Eleazar Rodriguez, joined by other world-class opera singers for an afternoon of passion-stirring music. The event is from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, May 20 at the Firehouse Arts Center (4444 Railroad Ave., Pleasanton). Tickets are $20. Call 931-4848 or visit www.firehousearts.org.]]> Enjoy gardening or looking for inspiration? Participate in the Hidden Gardens of the Valley garden tour in Pleasanton this weekend benefiting Valley Humane Society. The event is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, May 20. Advance tickets are $35 and $40 the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased at Alden Lane Nursery, Armstrong Garden Center, Serenity Stoneworks, Towne Center Books, Western Garden Nursery, and Valley Humane Society. All proceeds benefit Valley Humane Society, a local non-profit organization. Questions, call VHS 426-8656.]]> Suzanne Arca, from a Bay Area landscape firm, will discuss what you can do instead of having a lawn. Creating gardens that use less water does not have to mean inferior aesthetics and functionality. Suzanne will put to rest the notion that the front garden needs a lawn. The class is from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Saturday, May 19 at The Gardens at Heather Farm (1540 Marchbanks Dr., Walnut Creek). Cost $25. Call 947-1678 or visit www.gardenshf.org.]]> San Ramon Police arrested a 23-year-old resident in connection with more than a dozen residential burglaries. Chase Adamic was taken into custody Wednesday night after a search of his home. ]]> A man who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run collision while riding his bicycle in Dublin on Tuesday night has been identified by the
Alameda County coroner's bureau as Bo Hu. Hu was visiting the area, possibly from abroad, according to a coroner's technician. ]]> The woman who set her home and herself on fire in a December 2008 arson at her East Angela Street home was sentenced Wednesday to a year in county jail but could be out in months. Deonna Zuffa, 43, will serve her time at Santa Rita Jail, but has already served 167 days. Zuffa was seriously burned in the explosion and fire that destroyed her family home, the same day an eviction notice was posted on her door.]]> San Ramon's plan to build its own version of San Jose's Santana Row is headed to City Council after receiving approval Tuesday night from the city's Planning Commission. The North Camino Ramon Specific Plan calls for the development of transit-oriented housing and retail stores.]]> The town of Danville and the Tri-Valley Visitor's Bureau are asking residents to take a staycation this Memorial Day weekend. Foodies, gourmands, cooking enthusiasts and locavores will convene downtown to discover Danville's thriving food scene during Simply Delicious Danville.]]> Developmentally disabled students in the San Ramon Valley will now receive extra attention to ensure scholastic success, thanks to an advocacy group.]]> Don't want to hassle with cooking dinner on Open House night? Come to the barbecue from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, May 17. Cost is $7 for hot dog meal or $8 for pulled pork meal both include chops and soda. All meal tickets are sold at the barbecue.]]> This exhibit tells the Gold Rush story, from the first electric moment until it played out in Danville and San Ramon as miners arrived searching for attractive home sites. The exhibit features trail diaries, rifles and more artifacts from pioneer San Ramon Valley families who established themselves locally after finding their fortune. ]]> The San Ramon Police Department provides Danville Express with a record of its calls each week. This is a sampling, omitting the more mundane, such as routine traffic stops, service requests, noise complaints and domestic disturbances.]]> Funeral services are planned for this weekend for a Pleasanton man who was found hanged in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park on May 4.]]> Police were notified at 10:33 a.m. that the pedestrian had been hit in a crosswalk near Interstate Highway 680 and Sycamore Valley Road, Sgt. Nate McCormack said.]]> Crime continues to decline in San Ramon, as it has nearly every year for the past seven years. The city's police department has released its annual crime report for 2011; among the highlights is a drop in violent crimes -- going from 15.05 per 1,000 residents in 2010 to 11.89 per 1,000 residents, a drop of 26 percent.]]> The Diablo Valley Quilters Guild meets at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the Danville Congregational Church, (989 San Ramon Valley Blvd.). Guests are welcome ($2 donation). Annual membership fee is $30 ($20 for seniors 65+). For information, call Dianne at 837-1863. ]]> An employee of a troubled San Ramon mortgage broker that was shut down by the state has pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Thomas A. Calise took the plea Friday in federal court in Oakland. Calise, 50, of San Ramon, admitted that while working with Fidelity Capital Funding, he ducked paying nearly a half million dollars in income tax.]]> For once, a traffic jam at the intersection of Bollinger Canyon and Bishop Ranch 1 East didn't involve cars, as the annual Bike to Work Day was celebrated along the Iron Horse Trail at Bishop Ranch's Energizer Station.]]> Known to many as larger-than-life, Margaret Lesher left an indelible impact on the East Bay through philanthropic work and her forceful personality. Wife to newspaper magnate Dean Lesher, she and her husband were among Contra Costa County's elite as well as characters admired throughout the Times empire.]]> It's not easy to upstage the Boss, but that's exactly what a 9-year-old from Pleasanton did -- with a little help from his dad -- at a recent Bruce Springsteen concert at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.]]> This exhibit tells that story from the first gold strike until it played out in the San Ramon Valley with the arrival of miners searching for attractive home sites. The museum will tell tales of pioneer San Ramon Valley families through trail diaries, rifles that protected them on the trek over the endless prairies and mountains as well as tools used in placer mining.]]> This week's data represents homes sold during April 2011]]> The pendulum on mortgage credit has swung too far in the other direction ]]> ]]> Bay Bridge Series? Meet your inland sibling, the Crow Canyon Competition.]]>