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Oakley Area News

KTVU debuts new set, graphics Saturday night

KTVU Channel 2 will unveil a new set and graphic package Saturday night during the 10 p.m. news.

The news station is trying to evolve and modernize, while also maintaining its history and legacy.

The new set, designed by Broadcast Design International, and graphics, designed by Hothaus Creative, translate into a modern presentation that is both warm and sophisticated.

"Our goal was to contemporize the graphics and set while maintaining the pedigree of the KTVU news brand," said Tom Raponi, KTVU/KICU vice president and general manager. "I'm very proud of the work that our design team has accomplished with BDI and Hothaus. The combination of technology and new home for the Bay Area's most respected news team will allow us to write the next chapter in our history."

The set will include three different sections -- the main desk, the weather center and a multipurpose area.

The main anchor desk will feature a large Duratran mural and will include the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

The weather center is large enough for multiple meteorologists and features 60-inch flat screen monitors.

The multipurpose area can be used for a separate anchor desk, reporter stand-ups, social media center, local news specials and community affairs programming.

The new set will also include cutting-edge technology highlighted by an 82-inch Perceptive Pixel plasma monitor with touch screen technology.

"Visually, the most stunning aspect is that our set designers connected all three presentation areas," said Ed Chapuis, KTVU news director. "It looks spectacular. The new Big Board will allow us to show the story to our viewers in a more powerful way during major breaking news and weather events."

Chapuis added that the Big Board adds another storytelling tool for the anchors and reporters to break down videos, graphics and 3D images for viewers.

_{Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:37:41 -0800}

Man charged in fatal bar brawl gets probation

Murder charges were dropped in Contra Costa County Superior Court Friday against a Martinez man who fatally stabbed a man during a September 2008 bar fight in an apparent act of self-defense.

Paul Morgan, 33, was sentenced Friday afternoon to three years of probation for involuntary manslaughter for the stabbing of 48-year-old Discovery Bay resident Rusty Rascon during a fight outside of the Wild Idol Saloon in Byron on Sept. 10, 2008.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge, according to Deputy District Attorney John Cope, who maintained in court that Morgan's use of a knife in the incident was excessive.

"Mr. Morgan should have handled this differently...Mr. Rascon did not have to die here," he told the court.

But defense attorneys insisted that Morgan only used the knife on Rascon to save his own life.

"I believe my client acted in utter self-defense, which he is entitled to do," defense attorney Jaye Ryan-Maas told the court.

Morgan served about six weeks in county jail for the crime but was released, and Friday walked with a cane due to back problems, according to attorneys.

Before handing down the sentence, Judge Clare Maier said she had reviewed video footage of the incident that showed Rascon, who weighed about 80 pounds more than Morgan, initiated the fight that night.

Witnesses said Rascon was "drunk, loud and quite obnoxious...and that Mr. Morgan was quiet, polite and respectful".

The video shows the Martinez man exiting the bar, donning riding gear and heading toward his motorcycle.

There, he met Rascon, who stood in front of the bike to keep Morgan from leaving, the judge said.

  She said the video revealed that Morgan only wielded a pocketknife after he had been thrown against a wall and pinned to the ground.

Rascon was admitted to a nearby hospital that night with a 0.3 percent blood alcohol level, defense attorney Thomas Maas told the court.

He was pronounced dead from stab wounds and a sharp force injury to his lower intestine, according to the coroner's office.

This afternoon, the judge expressed her condolences to Rascon's parents and ex-wife, who spoke today about the impact of losing their son and former husband, who also left behind a young daughter.

However, she said, "The victim was an aggressor" in the fight that led to his death.

Maier found that the crime was committed due to unusual circumstances that are unlikely to occur again and noted that Morgan has no prior criminal history.

Outside of the courtroom, the defendant's mother, Brenda Morgan said her son "was afraid for his life" the night of the stabbing and acted in self-defense against Rascon, whom he did not know.

She also said the media was quick to paint her son as a "blatant murderer" after the incident -- a charge that she said has taken a major toll on Morgan and the rest of the family.

Now, she said, "He's looking forward to a new life...he's lost everything."

_{Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:25:36 -0800}

CPUC fines PG&E $16.8M for shoddy gas leak surveys

 The California Public Utilities Commission fined PG&E more than $16 million Friday for failing to conduct gas pipeline leak surveys on a stretch of pipeline in Contra Costa County.

PG&E said it was "surprised" by the $16.7 million fine, since the utility self-reported the problem to the state regulatory agency in December and has taken steps to survey the 14 miles of affected pipeline and repair the 22 leaks that were subsequently discovered on them.

"To receive a penalty this extreme for being open, transparent and accountable is disappointing," said Nick Stavropoulos, PG&E's executive vice president of gas operations. "In fact, members of the commission recently applauded the work our team did and the company's recognition of the employees who came forward."

PG&E apparently failed to conduct regular leak surveys of the affected pipelines because the utility's maps were not updated to accurately reflect new construction. While some of the new construction occurred within the past five years, in other places the violations date back to 1993, according to the CPUC citation.

"Because of the duration and seriousness of the violation and the numerous opportunities PG&E had to find these problems earlier, we concluded that a citation was warranted," said Michelle Cooke, interim director of the CPUC's Consumer Protection and Safety Division.

Friday's citation is the first under a new program authorizing CPUC staff to issue fines without the approval of the commission. The citation program, approved in December, is one of a number of changes the agency has made in response to the September 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion, which killed eight people, injured scores of others and destroyed dozens of homes.

PG&E has 10 days to either pay the fine with shareholder dollars or submit an appeal. The utility is reviewing the citation and fine to determine whether to appeal, spokesman Brian Swanson said.

_{Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:24:55 -0800}

News Source: MedleyStory More Local News Stories