Mike Colgan of KCBS-AM and Bill D’Agostino of the Palo Alto Weekly are reporting that word will come later today that Dean Singleton’s MediaNews has emerged at the buyer of the San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times and other Knight Ridder assets in Northern California. Singleton is expected to come to the Contra Costa Times’ newsroom to make the announcement himself today, the sources told D’Agostino. The Palo Alto Daily News group and its four sister papers, a Bay Area chain of local tabloids that Knight Ridder purchased a year ago, are expected to be a part of the package deal. Singleton, who holds a controlling interest in local papers such as the Oakland Tribune and San Mateo County Times, is expected to combine his papers with the Knight Ridder publications. As a result, newspapers in Alameda, San Mateo and Pleasanton might close since Singleton will have two papers in each of those communities. [CCTimes: Times said to be near sale to MediaNews] [CCTimes: Editor Chris Lopez’s take on the sale]