tecznotes

Oakland, one mile west of my house:

Two men were killed and four wounded in two shootings that happened a half-hour apart Wednesday night in East and West Oakland, police said. The shootings do not appear to be related, police said Thursday. At 8 p.m. Wednesday a gunman opened fire on a car driving in the 600 block of Apgar Street in West Oakland, killing driver Lord Addo, 21, and wounding his passenger.

-Alameda Times-Star

Piedmont, one mile east of my house:

For weeks, Piedmont police were stumped by the Beanie Baby bandit. The popular stuffed animals were mysteriously showing up overnight on porches and in the yards of two homes on Rose Avenue. One of the families feared a stalker. Now, police in the tranquil East Bay city think they may have identified a suspect: Gertie, one of the family's cats, which was caught on a surveillance camera carrying the plush toys in its mouth. ... "The cat was caught on tape, but we don't know if it was moving the Beanie Babies from the location where somebody put them," police Capt. John Hunt said Thursday.

-SF Chronicle