The Around Dublin Team reports on news throughout Dublin, California and provides an online forum for interested residents in this emerald city of Northern California to share their perspectives.
Dr. Janice Liao and Dr. George Shiao will be bringing back their highly popular Halloween Candy Buy Back at Dublin Smiles Dentistry in Dublin, CA. Why? Because they know very well the damaging effect of too much candy on children’s teeth. Dr. Liao and Dr. Shiao see firsthand how cavities can ravage both the enamel and the wallet. This Halloween they hope kids in Dublin and the Tri-Valley will pick out their favorite candy collected from trick-or-treating and turn the rest in for a nice cash price. In addition, the children will receive a new toothbrush and goody bag of gifts. This generous offer is limited to one goody bag per child, while supplies last. All the candy from this Great Halloween Candy Buy Back will be shipped to our troops overseas, so they may be reminded of home while serving our country.
The Around Dublin Blog, an independent and not-for-profit hyperlocal website dedicated to everything Dublin, CA, turns four years old today. The Around Dublin Team started the blog as a way to share interesting information we have collected and digested from Dublin City Council meeting minutes, Staff Reports, and communication with City Staff. Initially we focused our reporting on new developments in Dublin. Over the years, we have expanded our coverage to include the other cities in the Tri-Valley, as we break down regional news and issues of interest from Dublin’s perspective.
The Around Dublin Blog has enjoyed sharing some of Dublin’s great successes this past year. Dublin made national news after being named an All-American City. The long-awaited Heritage Park and Museums finally opened against all odds. Following the grand opening of the West Dublin BART station, retailers like DSW, Half Price Books, and Sprouts Farmers Market have all helped breathe new life into Dublin’s historic big-box shopping district. Celebrities and other high-profile public figures came out in droves to join television chef Guy Fieri at the grand opening of his new Johnny Garlic’s in Dublin. Resident and teacher Roger Mueller-Kim also made All-American City Dublin proud when he won big on Jeopardy in February.
The honorable Dublin City Council will be holding a special meeting to review the grand vision for the development of Downtown Dublin on Monday, October 24th, at 5:30PM in the Regional Room of Dublin City Hall. Councilmembers will discuss key recommendations from the Urban Land Institute(ULI)‘s panel of esteemed development experts. Highlights from the ULI’s One Dublin Downtown plan include siphoning funds from East Dublin to pay for development in the West Dublin Downtown and building an entertainment and civic center to revitalize the area. While most people in the Tri-Valley are surprised to learn that Dublin has a downtown, City Hall considers the Dublin Downtown District to be the area bound by San Ramon Road to the west, Village Parkway to the east, I-580 to the south, and Amador Valley Boulevard to the north.
The Tri-Valley area has experienced several catalytic converter thefts in the last few weeks. The thefts in Dublin are occurring during the hours of darkness. The suspects are targeting Toyota Trucks and 4runners manufactured in the mid 1990s to early 2000s. The Crime Prevention Unit of Dublin Police Services is asking residents to be aware of suspicious people in the area. Individuals staying inside their parked vehicles for long periods of time, wandering around furtively, or tampering with vehicles are all considered suspicious. Unusually loud banging and metal-cutting sounds should be reported immediately to the police.
Foodies in and around Dublin, CA rejoice. The Gourmet Food Truck Festival will be paying Alameda Fairgrounds in Pleasanton a return visit on Saturday, October 15th from 4:00PM to 8:00PM. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children. For those who missed this highly popular even the first time back in mid-September, here is the chance to experience what people have been buzzing about first-hand. The festival is organized by The Mobile Gourmet.
The Mobile Gourmet is the brainchild of Jill Horn and Lorring Jones, two local women who retired early from their high-tech careers to follow their true passion in life. The mission of this lean startup is to introduce the joys of the urban food truck phenomenon to the suburbs throughout the Bay Area.
Acccording to Jill Horn, chief marketing officer of The Mobile Gourmet, the Saturday event will have Nom Nom, Chairman Bao, and 20 other beloved food trucks. The number of vendors expected at this festival will help shorten the lines and diversify the menu. For those who are new to the gourmet food truck movement, the video below by the wonderful folks at the Nom Nom Truck should help explain why mobile kitchens like theirs are commanding such devotion from a growing legion of fans.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act of 2011 with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 365-54. The passage of this bill is good news for Tri-Valley Learning Corporation (TVLC), a non-profit organization committed to providing top quality public education choices for families of all socioeconomic backgrounds in the Tri-Valley and beyond. TVLC operates both Livermore Valley Charter School (LVCS) and Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School (LVCP). The State Board of Education has recently renewed the LVCS charter through June 2013. TVLC is also seeking to open a charter high school in Dublin, CA. The non-profit organization had expected the recent denial of the Tassajara Prep charter petition by the Dublin Unified School District and will be appealing that decision to the Alameda County Board of Education.
Grants for Opening New Charter Schools, Replication and Expansion. The bill updates the charter school start-up grants to state education agencies, which run subgrant competitions to open charter schools. In previous years, funds were accessible only for the creation of new schools. Through the passage of this bill, the Federal government is encouraging states to provide grants to replicate and expand the most high-quality public charter schools, while still opening new schools and supporting innovative models. It also expands the definition of a state eligible entity to include a state charter school board or a governor of a state.
Fans of The Amazing Race in and around Dublin, CA are rooting for the Tri-Valley’s very own Sandy Draghi and Jeremy Cline, who are currently competing on the 19th season of this popular unscripted competition show on CBS. Sandy is a 33-year-old nurse practitioner from Dublin, and her boyfriend Jeremy is a 35-year-old commercial real estate broker from Alamo. They are one of two “dating” couples competing for the $1M grand prize.
“Irasshaimase!” is the warm greeting every cheerful employee at the new Sushi Hanabi in Pleasanton, CA shouts out the moment a customer steps through its door. For guests of a certain age, the heartfelt greeting should remind them of the way Cheers welcomes Norm every time he steps into his favorite bar. Located at the gateway of Downtown Pleasanton, Sushi Hanabi has quickly become a local favorite in just four months after its opening.
The Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) Board of Trustees recently increased Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hanke’s pay to $206,211 for the 2011-2012 school year with an additional $6,600 per year auto allowance. Dr. Hanke’s district-paid pension contribution is also expected to be approximately $17,000 for the current school year. With the latest increase, Dr. Hanke’s base pay has jumped 33% in the past five years since his hiring for the 2006-2007 school year.
Money is not the primary objective for all school administrators. Fresno County Superintendent Larry Powell made national news earlier this month when he gave up $800K in compensation over the next three years to help his schools through a challenging time. The district was contracted to pay Powell $235,000 plus benefits a year through 2014. Putting students first, Powell officially retired as a district superintendent and went back to work as a consultant at an annual salary of $31,020 with no benefits to run 35 school districts with 195,000 students. Powell said he will give his new salary to charity, while his former, heftier salary will go into the district’s discretionary fund.
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