Smoke at Vine Cinema

Smoke spotted at Vine Cinema & Alehouse last week was the result of smoldering rags at the Zephyr Grill & Bar next door in downtown Livermore.

The call first came in around 7:15 a.m. Jan. 26 reporting smoke inside Vine Cinema. Arriving firefighters did not see any signs of smoke or fire at the front of the building, but as they investigated they found smoke inside the theater that was originating from the restaurant next door, according to Aaron Lacey, deputy chief with the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.

Firefighters gained access to the Zephyr Grill & Bar and found smoldering rags within the trash area near the back of the kitchen. "The hazard was removed from the building and smoke was cleared from the two buildings. No fire damage was sustained to either building and no one was injured," Lacey said.

Major I-680 roadwork

Caltrans has scheduled a major repaving project on Interstate 680 that will close the northbound lanes between Sunol and Pleasanton for three consecutive weekends in February, according to Caltrans.

The closure will stretch from the Koopman Road on-ramp in Sunol (just north of the Highway 84 interchange) to Sunol Boulevard in Pleasanton.

The schedule for closing the northbound lanes is as follows: 10 p.m. this Friday (Feb. 3) through 5 a.m. Monday (Feb. 6); 10 p.m. Feb. 10 through 5 a.m. Feb. 13; and over Presidents' Day weekend -- between Sunol Boulevard and Bernal Avenue only -- from 10 p.m. Feb. 17 to 5 a.m. Feb. 21.

These dates replace the original schedule planned to start with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, later postponed due to weather.

Southbound I-680 will remain open and will not be affected by the closure. Learn more at www.680paving.com.

-- Bay City News Service

Schiff bids for Senate

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who was raised in Alamo and graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville, has announced a bid for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by longtime California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, whose term expires in 2024.

Schiff, a 12-term congressman representing the Los Angeles area who gained national prominence for his role leading the first impeachment trial against then-President Donald Trump, formally launched his campaign on Jan. 25.