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Published April 6th, 2016
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New Editor Doesn't Get Swallowed by Sinkhole
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| By Peggy Spear |
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I can't say my first week with the Lamorinda Weekly was explosive, but it certainly wasn't dull.
I came on board as editor - replacing the great Jennifer Wake - the same week a Moraga sinkhole "ate" a traffic light, puncturing holes in a gas line and shutting out gas power to 2,600 residents. I was extremely proud of the way our staff responded to the crisis, especially Cathy Dausman, who spent the night working with the Emergency Services unit and was still awake enough to write about it; Nick Marnell, who chronicled some of our fire district's leaders' dissatisfaction with the PG&E management's response; and our Moraga reporter Sophie Braccini, who was on the scene and even went within the fenced-off area for more information, along with our publisher Andy Scheck - both decked out in protective gear.
It was a crazy first issue for me, but it reminded me how much I love covering this community. Some of you may remember that this is not my first swing through Lamorinda, as I was editor of the Contra Costa (now Lamorinda) Sun from 2002-2005. I loved those years, getting to know Lamorinda, its civic communities, the schools, and the residents who weave the fabric of this unique place.
Since leaving the Contra Costa Times in 2006 - when my oldest child started high school - I have been editor of two parenting magazines, Bay Area Parent and Parents' Press. I wrote for local Patch sites and launched Concord Patch in 2010.
My family moved to New Orleans for nearly a year, where I wrote for local papers and parenting magazines, but we missed California and the Bay Area so much we moved back. Since then I have spent my time as a freelance writer and editor for many local publications, most notably the Weekly's "cousin" publications, the Concord and Clayton Pioneer. I have been covering Concord civic issues since 2013.
But now I'm back where I feel I belong, and I look forward to meeting - and reacquainting myself - with all of you who make this area one of the best places in the country to live. Sinkholes and all.
Please don't hesitate to contact me at Peggy@lamorindaweekly.com with story ideas, civic gripes, business topics, good news, bad news and bragging about your kids. That's what local news is all about.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA