Last Week In Danville and Alamo

Here's some of the stories that made news in the Danville-Alamo area the past week.

Robbery arrest: Danville police arrested two men accused of trying to rob another man of his iPhone. Police say the suspects set up a meeting at the McDonald's on Camino Tassajara to buy an iPhone 4. When the seller showed up, he told police the buyer pulled out a knife and took the phone from him. The suspect and another man were later arrested.

Unemployment rate down: Danville's unemployment rate dropped from 5.6 percent in August to 5.3 percent in September. The state Employment Development Deparment reported the East Bay's jobless rate fell last month from 10.6 to 10.1 percent. The department also said the East Bay lost a total of 600 jobs last month.

School payment: The San Ramon Valley Unified School District board of education voted Tuesday to give a one-time payment to compensate for two furlough days taken last year. The payment will cost $1.1 million and be taken from the district's reserves. The payment is for current district employees only and will be awarded before the holiday season.

Park barns: The town's Heritage Resource Commission voted Monday to take one more look at whether it's worth trying to save both historic barns on the Hap Magee Ranch property. At a special meeting, the commission discussed whether to accept a town planning staff proposal to restore one of the barns but tear down the other, which is in especially bad shape, as the park prepares to make room for a community garden.