What to look for in 2009

I’ve noticed hundreds of small plastic tubes on the east bank of the Napa River, near the Wine Train commissary. What are they?

NapaValleyRegister.com publishes monthly statistics on arrests and convictions for driving under the influence — and so-called “wet reckless” convictions — in Napa County.

OAKLAND — Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff says he will decide within two weeks whether to bring criminal charges against a former Napa resident in a New Years Day shooting at a BART station.

OAKLAND — Bay Area Rapid Transit officials on Monday completed their preliminary investigation of the New Year’s Day fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a BART police officer who grew up in Napa and forwarded the results to the district attorney.

The campaign signs are packed away, and the buttons are in storage. But even as the frenzy of the presidential election subsides, local supporters of President-elect Barack Obama are catching a second wind.

Next year’s ninth-graders may have to beef up their course work if the Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees adopts a more academically challenging curriculum for the fall of 2009.

Richard Kennedy was only being compassionate when he smothered a dying cat last November. That was defense attorney Michael Keeley’s argument in court Monday, where Kennedy faces a charge of cruelty to animals.

Napa County Superior Court hears all types of disputes that arise in Napa County between individuals, corporations and government entities relating to state and municipal law.

A Napa woman was arrested after she threatened several people with a knife, Napa police said.

Raul Chavez Martinez is facing drug charges after police stopped the car he was driving on Sunday night for expired license tags.

Juan Azael Montez was arrested on Sunday afternoon after Target store security told police he took a Bluetooth cell phone and left the Soscol Avenue store without paying for it, police said.

One of Napa’s worst major roads is going to get a total makeover, complete with sidewalks, later this year.

SAN FRANCISCO — Widely aired video shows a BART police officer who grew up in Napa fatally shooting an unarmed black man lying face down on an Oakland train platform in the third hour of the New Year.