Here are some of the stories from this past week that made news in Pleasant Hill.
Superintendent's Message
Mt. Diablo Unified School District Superintendent Steve Lawrence offered condolences and assurances to parents on Friday afternoon in the wake of the school shooting in Connecticut that killed more than two dozen people.
Lawrence said the community's "thoughts and prayers" go out to the community of Sandy Hook Elementary.
He also assured Mt. Diablo parents that the district's schools have safety and security measures in place to limit the chances of such violence happening here.
iPhone Thefts
Pleasant Hill police say there has been a rash of iPhone thefts in the community the past couple months.
Most of them have been near Contra Costa Boulevard from Taylor Boulevard to Second Avenue South.
In some cases, the suspect approaches the victim from behind and snatches the phone while they're distracted. In other cases, he asks to use the victim's phone and then runs off with it.
Fight Over Drugs
Authorities said this past week that a fight over drugs led to the murder of a man in a homeless encampment on the Pleasant Hill-Concord border.
Investigators say James Riley, 38, strangled to death Jerald Nagle, 47, on Dec. 5 after accusing him of stealing a syringe of methamphetamine.
Both men were living at an encampment near the Concord Avenue on-ramp to Interstate 680.
Riley is charged with murder and is in custody on $1 million bail.
School Evacuation
Pleasant Hill police are pursuing leads after an explosive device was found Monday afternoon at Pleasant Hill Elementary School.
The school was evacuated while authorities dealt with the device. Police say the device was "viable" and appeared to be homemade.
Authorities are looking at video from school cameras as well as other evidence.
