Some more scoop on Walnut Creek's crime-fighting civilians

Walnut Creek police Sgt. Lanny Edwards filled me in with some more details about three locals who pitched in, above and beyond, to help out the community. The police department will honor these three at a ceremony this Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Lesher Center.

The three hometown heroes are:

--Langley Choy, who will receive the Walnut Creek Police Department Citizen Commendation Award for assisting in what led to the arrest of a residential burglary suspect.

On September 20, 2008, Langley observed a subject acting suspiciously near a neighbor’s residence. After watching person ride away on a bicycle, Langley contacted his neighbor and confirmed that the person had just stolen the bicycle. Langley followed the subject and directed responding police officers to the subject’s location. Police contacted the subject, who was on parole, and he was arrested for stealing the bicycle. The subject was also found to be in possession of stolen property from a vehicle in Pleasant Hill. Further investigation revealed he had also committed a residential burglary in Concord just a day prior.

--Miguel Lopez, who also will receive the department's Citizen Commendation Award for assisting in what led to the arrest of a felony hit and run suspect.

On January 29, Lopez was driving on Walnut Avenue when he saw a vehicle strike a bicyclist. The driver failed to stop and Lopez followed the vehicle down several residential streets in an effort to get the vehicle license plate. Lopez followed the motorist to Treat Boulevard at Bancroft Road, where he was able to summon a Concord Police officer. The Concord Police Officer stopped the vehicle and detained the driver until Walnut Creek officers arrived. The driver was subsequently arrested for felony hit and run.

--Retired Reserve Captain Don Randall, who will receive the department's Meritorious Service Award.

Don Randall joined the Walnut Creek Police Department Reserve Unit in 1976. He was appointed to Level I Reserve Officer in 1980 and promoted to Reserve Sergeant that same year. Don’s strong leadership and commitment to the Organization led to his promotion to Reserve Lieutenant in 1991, and later to the rank of Reserve Captain. During his 30 plus years of service with the Walnut Creek Police Department, Don has volunteered more than 15,000 hours of service to the community. In addition to his numerous commendations for his actions and leadership, Don was the recipient of the Department’s Outstanding Service Award in 1984. Don also earned the Reserve Officer of the Year Award in 1986 and was a proud member of the “500 Hour Club” every year from 1992 through 2000. Don has always stressed the importance of training, safety, accountability, service and family as principles to a successful program. His leadership and dedication to the Police Reserve Division helped transform the program into the professional division of the Walnut Creek Police Department that it is today.

Thanks again Sgt. Edwards for filling us in on the good works of these locals.

Time to break your Sully addiction

Sorry to all those who need their constant fix of interviews and media images of Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, but the Danville hero pilot has decided to take a break.

The Contra Costa Times says:

The 58-year-old Danville resident, who has been on a national media tour for weeks, will take a break from his rigorous interview schedule so he can complete his role in the National Transportation Safety Board's crash investigation and return to his family, officials say.

"We regret that we are unable to fulfill all the requests that were made to Captain Sullenberger," spokesman Alex Clemens wrote Friday in an e-mail to scores of media outlets.

Sullenberger will conduct just a few more interviews, which he has already agreed to, before he calls it quits to "wrap up the ongoing to-do items stemming from his appearance before Congress" and tries to settle back into his normal life, Clemens said.

Most of the remaining media requests, including one made by this newspaper, will be left unanswered for now, he said.

Requests from television, radio, online and print media organizations have numbered in the "multiple hundreds" and have come from every continent except Antarctica, said Clemens.

Alas, I guess you won't be reading a Soccer Mom interview with Sullenberger, but I confess I didn't even put in a request. Frankly, after the 60 Minutes interview, of which I only saw part, I decided I had heard enough of this story. Yeah, it's a good story, one for the ages, but it's time to move on. At least that's my take. And, yes, that was Sully the news cameras flashed to during President Barack Obama's speech Tuesday night to the joint session of Congress.

More Sully-Mania: Katie Couric in hero pilot’s Danville kitchen and on CBS Early Show in morning TV ratings smackdown

CBS will devote most of its Early Show this coming Monday to the heroic tale of Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, who safely landed his disabled US Airways jet in the Hudson River, saving the lives of 155 crew members and passengers, the Huffington Post says.

Besides talking to Sully and other crew members, The Early Show will also talk to rescuers and survivors. Sully is also scheduled to appear on ABC's Good Morning America on Monday morning.

Actually, CBS and Couric are really milking their interview coup with Sully. He’ll be on CBS 60 Minutes with Couric Sunday night. You can watch a teaser to that here.

This Early Show Sully move is seen as a direct attack on the mighty Today show (Couric’s old stomping grounds) and its host Matt Lauer, Couric’s former partner. If you’ll remember, Lauer was originally scheduled to land the first exclusive interview with Sully, before Sully or his people backed out and went to Couric and CBS.

But Today show is striking back, with Ann Curry’s exclusive interview with that Southern California woman who—ewww—recently gave birth to octuplets.

As the Huffington Post says, it’s “the hero pilot vs. the tired mom.” Which interview will draw more viewers? Actually, the “tired mom” has touched off a hot debate about the ethics of when and how doctors use in vitro fertilization because Octuplets Mom is a single woman, who already had six kids before giving birth to these eight.

And what’s also weird, besides Octuplets Mom, is how Sully, a much-proclaimed humble, small town man, has wound up in the midst of this battle of the networks and the network stars.

And, as I asked earlier, is Sully-mania on the verge of “jumping the shark”? Has it already?

Are you getting a little weary of Sully-mania? Is the Sully story about to "jump the shark"?

To be honest, I am getting a bit weary of all the hype, especially after reading in the CoCo Times this morning that Danville's own "Hero on the Hudson," pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger and the entire crew of the distressed US Airways Flight 1549, will be honored just before the start of tomorrow's Superbowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida.

And then we'll have the drumbeat of promos for Katie Couric's big interview with Sully and the crew on 60 Minutes on February 8.

Yes, I know, I know. I'm being a sulky, curmudgeonly and even anti-American.

I know, I know: Sullenberger performed what amounts to a modern-day miracle by landing that distressed airplane, with its two failed engines, on the Hudson River. He avoided crashing into Manhattan, and he saved the lives of 155 passengers and crew members. Of course, as Sully likes to humbly say, he and his crew were just doing the job they were trained to do.

Still, I can't help but feel that something my co-worker said might be on target: that the Sully story is about to "jump the shark." That term is used by TV critics and fans to denote that point at which a long popular TV show or movie series' has passed its peak in creativity, originality, and general appeal. With regard to TV shows, a series "jumps the shark" when its plot veers off into absurd story lines and out-of-ordinary characterizations, usually to boost sagging ratings, because the show has basically started to wear out its welcome. It happens to the best of shows. I'm sure you can all name a dozen right now.

The term originates from the 1950s-nostalgia sitcom Happy Days that ran from 1974-1984 and to a particular episode that aired in 1977. In that episode, the biker anti-hero Fonzie, wearing swim trucks and his trademark leather jacket, jumps over a penned-in shark while water skiing. The shark-jumping was part of a stunt that the Fonz performed during a three-episode Happy Days goes to Hollywood ratings-booster special.

Reportedly, the first public use of the phrase occurred in 1997, when Jon Heim, now a regular on Howard Stern's satellite radio show, launched his jumptheshark.com website. Heim sold the site for lots of money, and it's now owned by TV Guide. It's been a while since I visited the site, mainly because it used to be a major time-suck, especially for someone like me, who in my life before marriage, parenthood and now blogging, used to watch a wee bit too much TV. On Heim's version of jumptheshark.com, you could look up favorite old TV shows and read message boards, full of fan opinions on when a particular show "jumped the shark."

Anyway, back to Captain Sully. Last week, I attended the celebration in Danville at which the pilot was presented with the key to the town and named an honorary member of the Danville police force. Sully's wife, Lorrie, spoke of her love for her husband and her love for Danville. Sully spoke briefly, showing himself to be a distinguished, modest man who takes pride in doing his job well and in living in the East Bay. The celebration was both classy and full of genuine, small-town heart.

Now after reading about this pre-game tribute, and anticipating the 60 Minutes interview, I'm getting a little antsy about Sully-mania. No doubt Sully-mania will continue with the inevitable continued coverage of Sully over the next few weeks and months, especially in the local media, as they scramble for their post Katie Couric interview. And, wouldn't be surprised to read that there is a book and movie deal with the works.

Still, I have to wonder whether the Sully story will go on too long, wear out its welcome, and "jump the shark."

Sully-mania: Danville folks turn out for their hometown hero

Yes, Soccer Mom was there to witness the hometown celebrations in Danville of the heroic accomplishments of Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who steered his distressed jet to a safe landing in the Hudson River on January 15.

Sullenberger received a key to the city, a medal of valor from the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District for saving 155 lives, a bipartisan Congressional resolution (presented by U.S. Congressman Jerry McNerney), and a Badge No. 1 from the Danville Police Department, making him an honorary member of the Danville Police Department.

Throughout the ceremonies, accompanied by music from the United States Army Reserve Band, the San Ramon valley High School Marching Band, and local bagpiper Nick Theriault, Sully, a trim man in a suit with mustache, displayed a shy smile and modesty. Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich emphasized that Sully didn't really want any big celebration, but that if he would have it, he would have it in Danville, which has been the home for himself, his wife, Lorrie, and their two daughters, for the past 13 years.

Thousands flocked to the ceremony on the Danville town green, in front of the library. They included long-time Danville residents and new families who wanted to share this historic vision of a nationally proclaimed hero with their kids.

Despite the crowds, the event didn't feel crushed, overwhelming, or over-the-top. Frankly, I was nudged into attending. I was dreading the crowds, the media circus. However, simple dignity marked the event, so did civility and good spirits, in keeping with what people say is Sully's personality. (And, yes, I took Sully, or rather his "handlers" to task for reneging on their commitment to the Today show as a PR and social faux-pas. Well, seeing Sully in person, I'm wondering if he, or his handlers, have a very reasonable, undertandable explanation for doing so.)

This hero, whose arrival was almost as hotly anticipated as the descent of Barack Obama down those inaugural stage steps, said little. He's barred from saying much, due to the pending investigation into his emergency water landing.

However, he expressed his gratitude for the love and support they had shown to his family. He dismissed the idea that he was any kind of divine superhero:

"It was circumstances that put this experienced crew (in charge) of that plane on that particular day," Sullenberger said. "We were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do."

Katie Couric bitch slaps down Matt Lauer and Today to secure Danville hero pilot interview

I just love that term “bitch slap.” It’s so Dynasty—so Linda Evans-vs. Joan Collins—in its ability to describe the backstage catfight taking place amongst media giants eager to secure the first media interview with US Airways Flight 1549 pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger of Danville.

The Huffington Post says: "Katie Couric has landed the first interview with the pilot who safely brought his distressed plane down in the Hudson River--a coup that comes at the expense of her former "Today" show partner Matt Lauer.

The interview with Sullenberger and his crew will be shown February 8 on CBS' 60 Minutes. Lauer had been promised the first interview live on January 19. But the day before, Sullenberger's pilots association asked him to postpone interviews while the investigation into U.S. Airways Flight 1549 and its water landing continued."

Bummer, or however you want to describe the mood at NBC.

Meanwhile, I find this growing media circus around pilot “Sully” and his family to be increasingly interesting—and amusing. By the way, I got nudged into attending the ceremonies in Danville Saturday to welcome back their hometown hero.

If you’ve been living under a rock, Sully is the veteran pilot who safely landed his jet airliner—carrying 155 passengers and crew members—into the Hudson River after both engines were disabled following a collision with a flock of birds.

Despite the postponement, the NBC show said it had a continued commitment with Sullenberger's family and media adviser to have the first interview.

Guess not. According to NBC News spokeswoman Megan Kopf: "Unfortunately, people close to him have not acted nearly as admirably over the past few days. They gave us their word, and then broke their commitment. We wish Captain Sullenberger the best."

So, now the Today show has no plans now to interview Sullenberger. The Sullenbergers’ media advisor, Alex Clemens of the communications firm Barbary Coast Consulting, confirmed the 60 Minutes interview [with Couric] but said he would have no other comment.

Hmm, so the Sullenbergers have a media advisor, possibly playing fast and loose with commitments to journalists. Too bad for Sully, who acted courageously and gracefully in safely landing that airplane. In the post-heroics aftermath, it doesn't look good for him--PR-wise, that is--to renege on commitments.

No, I’m not weepy for the loss of this scoop to Matt Lauer or Today. Lauer and Today comprise an organization of big boys and girls who can handle these setbacks.

But, I actually have to agree with that NBC News spokewoman: it's just not good manners. And I know some people will want my head for even suggesting that the brave, heroic Sully, or people close to him, committed a social faux pas.

I'll put it this way: A couple times over the years, my son has committed to attending the birthday party of some kid from his class he liked okay, before an invitation to another birthday party, at the same date and around the same time, came from another kid he liked better. Part of me wanted to say, screw it, we’ll let you bow out of your first commitment so you can attend the party you’d really rather attend.

Then, we said, no. You RSVP’ed. You gave your word to Kid No. 1. You gotta stick to that commitment, even if you like him so-so, and you’re thinking the party won’t be as fun as the party given by Friend No. 2.

Capt. Sullenberger goes to Washington

As I write this late Sunday, the wife and daughters of Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the Danville pilot hailed as a hero for safely guiding a failing US Airways flight into New York's Hudson River Thursday, had probably already arrived in our nation’s capital.

Lorrie Sullenberger (pictured below, left) and daughters would be joining “Sully” himself, who received a personal invitation from President-elect Barack Obama to attend his inauguration Tuesday.

Entertainment Online reports that during a five-minute phone conversation Friday evening, Obama thanked Sullenberger and his crew for ensuring that all 155 people aboard the plane survived the crash into the Hudson River, Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs told the Associated Press.

According to the Contra Costa Times, there was also talk that Sullenberger would appear on the Today show Monday morning--the pilot's first interview with the media. However, the Times also reports that the the head of the U.S. Airline Pilots Association issued a statement asking Sullenberger to refrain from any media interviews while the National Transportation Safety Board investigation is continuing.

There is also speculation that major book and movie deals are in the works, the Associated Press says.

As for when Sullenberger and family would return to Danville and enjoy a gala hometown celebration? Arnerich tells media outlets that the Sullenberger's return and his hometown celebration could either happen Friday or Saturday.

Danville pilot who saved 155 lives hailed internationally as true hero

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot responsible for what's being called a miracle--safely guiding a failing US Airways flight into New York's Hudson River Thursday--was obviously the right person, in the right place, at the right time.

According to his resume and colleagues interviewed by various news outlets, the Danville man is a former fighter pilot who speaks internationally on safety issues, has more than 40 years experience in aviation, and has collaborated with UC Berkeley on ways to avoid airline tragedies.



"I can imagine him being sufficiently in charge to get those people out," Karlene Roberts, a friend and UC Berkeley professor who co-directs the school's Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, where Sullenberger is a visiting scholar, told the Contra Costa Times. The center researches ways to avoid airline tragedies, such as the one Sullenberger skillfully avoided. "He's got that kind of personality, which is to his credit."

And now he's being hailed as the "Hero of the Hudson" by The Huffington Post for landing the plane flat on the water, avoiding nearby Manhattan, and making sure all the passengers were safely out of the plane before leaving himself.

The Wall Street Journal said Sullenberger and the other pilots of Flight 1549 "achieved one of the rarest and most technically challenging feats in commercial aviation: landing on water without fatalities."

For his actions, Sullenberger has earned praise from New York city and state officials, aviation experts and ordinary people all over the world. Our own Mayor of Claycord at Claycord.com, the first local news source to break the news of Sullenberger's Danville affiliation, wrote: "From all accounts, Sullenberger is the one who really took the plane down, and made an easy landing in the river, saving 155 lives, and a lifetime of mourning for many families."


By late afternoon, news crews from CNN and local TV affiliates were lined up outside the Sullenberger's Danville home, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.



CNN managed to get these comments from his wife, Lori Sullenberger: "I hadn't been watching the news. I've heard Sully say to people, 'It's rare for an airline pilot to have an incident in their career. ... When he called me he said, 'There's been an accident.' At first I thought it was something minor, but then he told me the circumstances and my body started shaking and I rushed to get our daughters out of school."

With all the bad news lately locally and around the world, from the riots in Oakland to the economic crisis, it does seem miraculous to get news that is more than good, it's body-shaking fantastic.

By the way, this photo of Sully comes from the website for his consulting business, Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., which uses his expertise to "apply the latest advances in safety and high performance and high reliability processes to organizations in a variety of fields."

Clayton girl in need of a heart-lung transplant has inspired an outpouring of community support

Local bloggers and websites Claycord.com and Mister Writer have updated the situation involving a 6-year-old girl named Katie Grace Groebner, whose family brought her from the midwest to this area to be closer to Stanford University hospital. She is suffering from a disease called pulmonary hypertension and will need a heart and lung transplant to have any chance of survival.

Read more about how she and her family and trying to keep up their hopes at claycord.com and at Mister Writer.

For more about Katie Grace or her illness, visit caringbridge.org/visit/katiegrace or the Pulmonary Hypertension Association website. Donations can be made to the Katie Grace Benefit Fund through US Bank at http://www.usbank.com/. The family accepts emails at groebs4@live.com.

LOCAL HERO: Danville mom tries to apply sanity to the craziness of our contemporary education system

Kerry Dickinson of Danville is one of my local heroes. She’s smart, dedicated, and passionate about restoring sanity and thoughtfulness to the many debates raging about how to educate our kids, how to prepare them to be reasonable, caring, and responsible citizens of the future.

Not only is she the parent of two sons, she also has a teaching credential and master’s degree in reading. She makes herself as well informed about research and current thinking on the hot-button issue of homework and other education controversies as any professional working in education. Her claim to fame, if you will, was in pressuring the San Ramon Valley Unified School District to address its policies on homework.

An account of her challenges to the policies of the San Ramon Valley school district, one of the largest in our East Bay suburban community, was documented in Diablo magazine. I’m on Kerry’s email list. She is constantly scouring for the latest cutting-edge information on education research and is making contacts with major players in education reform movements. She also attends Bay Area-wide meetings on homework and other education issues—meetings that a lot of us don’t have the time to attend because of work and other commitments.

She is generous with her time and her willingness to share that information with us. Anyway, here is an excerpt of her latest email blast.

We are reminded this week of the Jonestown tragedy 30 years ago, when 918 died in the largest mass-murder-suicide incident in US history. The slogan “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid” came out of this event which has become a pop culture warning against blind obedience. I’ve heard this reference twice recently in regard to how we are raising our kids in today’s world.

We have gone from a culture that was once adult-centered (when we were kids) to a culture that is child-centered (now). And the irony of that is when we lived in an adult-centered world, we were free to do whatever we wanted when the adults weren’t looking. Now, with our children the constant focus of our attention and time, we don’t let them do anything unless we know exactly where they are at all times.

While we are providing them with so many opportunities, we are unwittingly taking away their childhoods from them. It’s easy to get wrapped up offering our kids everything possible, to “drink the Kool-Aid” so to speak, by over-scheduling their lives and living in constant motion just because everyone else around us is doing the same.

At some point though we have to take a step back and slow down or we may see some harmful unintended consequences. The documentary film we viewed Friday night, Slipping Behind [a film by Lafayette filmmakers at Reel Link Films] showed us many children who looked great on the outside and performed really well, but who suffered many unintended consequences from this kind of fast-paced, competitive, child-centered lifestyle: suicide, anxiety, anorexia, cheating, ulcers, cutting, drugs, etc…

Another way I see us “drinking the Kool-Aid” is in our attitudes about our kids’ education, and specifically about homework. We treat homework like the weather, like something we just can’t do anything about. We accept the fact that state mandated standards must be appropriate for our kids.

We accept the fact that the homework assigned must be good for our kids simply because it was assigned by a teacher. We prepare a healthy snack and well-lit place for them to do their homework each night, yet don’t look at what’s being given to them to complete. We worry our kids won’t get into good schools and colleges if they don’t do many hours of homework each night. We complain to each other when we do fear homework is inappropriate, but then don’t schedule meetings with teachers to try to plan a good strategy for our children.

So, what can we do about it? How do we slow down and start to give our children their childhoods back? Here are 16 tips:

1. If you can’t afford an activity, don’t sign your kid up.
2. Don’t sign your child up for more than one sport at a time. (This is difficult because many sports are almost year-round.)
3. Even if your friends and your child’s friends are doing it, it’s ok to say “NO.”
4. Don’t sign your child up for academic tutoring unless they are in jeopardy of failing a class. (i.e., don’t pay for a tutor to boost a “B” to an “A”.)
5. Take the summer off from structured activities (or at least 1-2 months of it) and just hang out with your kids (if you don’t work) or let them just hang out with a caretaker and/or friends (if you do work).
6. Don’t ask your kids about grades or homework for 1 hour after school each day. Give them an hour of down time.
7. Don’t focus on grades, but on the content of the subject. (Instead of “What did you get on the test?” say “What did you learn?”
8. Plan, prepare, cook and cleanup meals with your child.
9. Have your child do chores – lawn mowing, sweeping, cleaning toilets, dishes, dog walks, etc.
10. Don’t yell at your kids during homework hour; you are not the homework enforcer.
11. Set up a meeting, a phone call or an email with a teacher if your child is spending too much time on homework and it is cutting into your family time.
12. Don’t go to every scheduled sports game of your child’s. He/she should be participating for the love of the game, not because she/he wants you to be proud of them.
13. Take a walk or bike ride around the neighborhood or into town with your child, or, if he/she is old enough, let him/her go with a friend and no adults.
14. Send your kids out to play in the yard or on your street while there is still daylight. We have only a couple hours now before dark, and they need to get outside after being in school all day.
15. Don’t talk negatively about junior colleges or about choosing not to go to college. Not everyone is cut out for a 4-year university or state college, especially when the requirements are increasingly more difficult each year. There are over 2000 colleges in the US and Canada and many thousands more career options.
16. Enjoy your spouse. Your children’s lives are not your lives. One day soon they will be gone and you will be left staring at your spouse.