Vivid, Evocative Photos at City Hall

The new exhibit that opened this week at the El Cerrito Hall Gallery Space features photos of flora, fauna and beyond by El Cerrito resident Evie Groch.

The second-floor Gallery Space at El Cerrito City Hall had its walls enlivened by a new art exhibit this week, a show of photos by El Cerrito resident Evie Groch. A public reception for the artist will be held Saturday, 2-4 p.m., at City Hall. The show runs through March. 29. A framed artist's statement accompanying the exhibit says, "The creative spirit that I nurture within me bridges genres, boundaries, and themes, combining my love of cooking, writing, painting, and creating two and three-dimensional art." "My photography selection reflects the thematic ebb and flow of the flora and fauna encountered in my travels, along with some spiritual scenes," Groch's statement continues. "I am at my happiest when my two worlds of words and …

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Who's Who in Local Business

Preferring to Stay Small: Tati's Family Daycare

Tatiana Pereira, who started her home daycare in Albany 15 years ago and moved to El Cerrito in 2001, prefers working with a small number of children as opposed to a large group.

Business: Tati’s Family Daycare Owner: Tatiana Pereira, 47 How long have you been working out of your daycare business in El Cerrito? We moved here in 2001, but I was doing the daycare before in Albany. When we bought this house, we moved here and I started working in El Cerrito. It’s great. I like my house, I like the city, it’s fun. The only thing I would change would be having more (accessible) parks.  How many kids do you usually sit? My license is for 12, but I only have four, because, I would need a helper to work. It’s nice to have a helper, but at the same time it’s kind of stressful for the kids to have a big group of kids and two adults giving directions. I work better by myself with a small group of kids; I think it’s less …

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Break-in Robbery Crime-Spree Suspect Charged on 19 Counts

Edgar James, whom police say committed a one-day crime spree Feb. 14 that began with two break-in robberies in El Cerrito, was charged with 19 felony counts in Contra Costa County Superior Court.

Edgar James, 32, who was captured in Richmond Feb. 14 after what police describe as a day-long crime spree that began with two home break-ins in El Cerrito, has been arraigned on 19 felony counts, Bay City News reported Wednesday. James allegedly smashed in the front doors of two homes on King Drive, assaulting the resident of one home and stealing a car from the other, police said. Kensington police spotted him driving another car that had been carjacked from a Kensington resident, but he eluded a police chase by driving along a fire trail in the Hillside Nature Area, according to police. After crimes in Martinez and Vallejo, he allegedly stole a police car in Richmond after he'd been cornered by police and led police on a chase across …

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BART Path at El Cerrito Plaza Closing Soon

The Ohlone Greenway (BART Path) behind El Cerrito Plaza will soon be closed as BART's seismic retrofit work on the elevated tracks and path reconstruction moves north, BART officials say.

BART's earthquake retrofitting on its elevated tracks and the accompanying Ohlone Greenway is expected to wrap up in Albany from Brighton to Portland avenues in about three weeks, with the next segment behind El Cerrito Plaza forecast to begin right afterward, according to BART officials. The fences blocking the path on the Portland-to-Brighton section are scheduled to come down in mid-March, said Greg Jacobs, consulting civil engineer to Albany. (Earlier, BART estimated a February end date.) Brighton to Fairmount Right after the Portland-to-Brighton section of the path re-opens, work will move north, and the Ohlone Greenway from Brighton to Fairmount Avenue in El Cerrito will close, said Jason McLean, a community relations liaison for …

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Charles Burress

12:15 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Perhaps you ask the BART contact person named in the story? If you find out, please let us know.   more ›

Mystery Photo Contest

[We Have a Winner] Mystery Photo: Know This Waterway's Whereabouts?

Can you identify where this body of water can be found? Be the first to put the answer in the comments section below the article to win a prize.

Update: Congratulations to reader Terry Lee for correctly identifying the location! It's the west side of El Cerrito City Hall. The first reader to identify the location shown in the photo by putting the answer in the comments section below wins a prize. This is the latest installment of El Cerrito Patch's irregularly published Mystery Photo contest.  Click here to see earlier Mystery Photo contests. So far, we haven't been able to stump our observant readers.   The legal fine print: There is a limit of two prizes per person. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. The applicable parts of the Official Rules for Patch giveaway contests govern this contest.

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Charles Burress

12:29 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Terry, congratulations, you got it! Please send me an email, charles@patch.com, to arrange getting the prize to you.   more ›

34 Years for Arlington Wine & Spirits: "It's Pretty Amazing"

When the two partners decided to open up shop in Kensington, they were in their 20s with no money and a many months of work ahead building everything themselves from scratch.

Business: Arlington Wine & Spirits Co-Owner: Alan Fischer, 62. How long have you been here in business? 34 years. I have a partner, who is the same age (Don Bruschera) – we both started it. What made you choose this location? His father owned this building. He was the pharmacist next door, as was my partner—he was a pharmacist, went to pharmacist school. That’s where we met, in college—Davis. His dad owned it for years, and when Don came to work for his dad, he noticed that there was an old five-and-dime here that was barely hanging on. It was paying like nine or 19 cents a square foot, literally. He had this idea, “Hey, let’s open a wine store.” That was the birth of the idea. ... We started remodeling in March. We had to tear everything…

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First Regular Tuesday Council: Honors and Budgets

The El Cerrito City Council tonight officially abandons its 77-year-old tradition of Monday night meetings with its first regular Tuesday night meeting.

The El Cerrito City Council tonight will hold its first regular Tuesday night meeting, switching from having met on Monday nights since 1935. The council voted Nov. 21 to switch its twice-monthly meeting from its long-standing place on Monday at 7:30 p.m. to Tuesday at 7 p.m. Honor for baseball pro "Pumpsie" Green The agenda begins with recognition of the "distinguished stature in baseball history" of El Cerrito resident Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green, the African American player who desegregated the last segregated team in pro baseball, the Boston Red Sox. (See accompanying article.) Honor for police Officer Terry Schillinger Another honor on the agenda is commendation of El Cerrito police Officer Terry  Schillinger on his "recognition by …

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