Lost in the shuffle?

Historically, strong support

On one hand, the measure should pass, given the track record of community support for the district. With recently announced Academic Performance Index (API) test results that rank near or at the top in the state, Los Altos student achievements have validated that support. Most significantly, the district is not asking for additional money, only the maintainence of existing supplemental funding. They are required by law to renew voter approval every four years. Because the district is not seeking to increase the tax, the measure requires a simple majority, as opposed to two-thirds’ approval.

City composting operation to move out of town

-Linda Taaffe

LAH council candidates address thorny town issues in forum

Five candidates running for three seats on the Los Altos Hills City Council weighed in on the often controversial off-road pathways issue, among other matters, at a Town Hall forum last week.

All candidates at the Oct. 18 event, sponsored by the local League of Women Voters, appeared to have done their homework and answered questions from the audience with candor.

News Briefs

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is scheduled Monday and Tuesday to decide whether to grant Stanford University a use permit to develop roughly 2,000,000 square feet of academic facilities and 3,000 units of new housing on the campus property.

The county has worked with Stanford over the past two years to replace the university’s existing general use permit and to include a Community Plan in the mix to lay out a longer term vision for growth and development for the university.

The big three: Education, transportation, housing

State’s assembly and senate candidates tackle top issues

State races

Family reunion

Blue Jeans & Jelly Beans

About a week ago, my husband, kids and I went to Albany, New York, for a reunion of my father’s side of the family.

Fenwick, Humphries, O’Malley for LAH council

This is a pivotal time for government in the town of Los Altos Hills. With town residents seemingly split on several key issues, we think council balance is needed now more than ever.

For this reason, we like candidates Bob Fenwick, Sandy Humphries and Michael O’Malley. All are first-timers who could offer fresh views and a change of pace from some of the bickering we’ve seen over the last few years.

Bough, Curatola, Lee for hospital board

Like Los Altos Hills, the El Camino Hospital District is facing uncertain times. With a major question ahead over rebuilding or retrofitting the hospital, its very future is hanging in the balance.

Under the current conditions, we think it’s only appropriate for the board to be armed with knowledgeable and experienced members. Doctors Edward Bough and Dominick Curatola, both incumbents, fit the bill. We are also endorsing first-time candidate Mary Louise Lee.

Letters to the Editor

Kahn’s Corner Pharmacy has been a successful family-run Los Altos business since 1939. Like any small, independent store, its success depends largely on the full-time commitment of one or two people willing to accept the responsibilities and risks of ownership. As many of you know, our personal interests and pursuits have led us in new directions over the past few years. Our own involvement in the pharmacy has diminished, and despite its past success, we have been unable to arrange a transfer of ownership. So after careful deliberation we have decided to close our doors for good on Nov 4.

This has not been an easy decision. The pharmacy has been a major part of our lives since I started helping my father at the store as a 12-year-old. It’s where we learned the importance of community, and the vehicle that provided our family with a very rewarding life. We would have preferred to keep it in operation, and have spent considerable time looking for a workable alternative to closing. But changes in the last ten years have made it very difficult to run a profitable retail pharmacy as an individual owner. It’s not competition from large chains that has created the biggest challenge, since our volume and customer base have actually grown every year. It’s simply that profit margins under managed care have not been able to keep up with the dramatically increasing cost of doing business.

New ‘Pages’ columnist gives thanks to community and predecessor

Pages of the Past

What an opportunity. The inquiry came a few weeks ago when Liz Nyberg asked if I might be interested in continuing the history column for the Town Crier. I didn’t have to think long. What a great way to give back to the community and learn a little more about what makes this such a special town.

Los Altos Weather

See Today’s weather and forecast (from “Weather Underground”).

‘Spooktacular’ offers so much for kids to do, it’s scary

Downtown Los Altos will host its annual “Halloween Spooktacular” next Tuesday, featuring free entertainment, trick-or-treating, contests and a performance by the Egan Intermediate School Music Department. The event will begin at noon in the Community Plaza at the intersection of Main and State streets.

The Egan School Music Department benefits from participation by 38 percent of the school’s entire student population. The department is comprised of the seventh grade band, an eighth-grade band, a seventh-grade orchestra, an eighth-grade orchestra and a chorus made up of seventh- and eighth-grade students. Concerts are given throughout the school year for students, parents and the community. Each spring, the music students travel to Disneyland to perform and participate in the event, “Magic Music Days.”

Top 10 tips for a safe and sane Halloween

Every year on Halloween many children are victims of automobile accidents, fires, poisoned treats and scrapes and bruises that often happen unnecessarily.

The Los Altos Police Department is issuing these 10 safety rules that officers hope parents will urge their youngsters to follow this Halloween night.

Hidden Villa’s sustainable center kicks off with free celebration

Steve Kirsch, Infoseek founder and noted environmentalist, will inaugurate the newly-constructed Wolken Education Center at Hidden Villa Nov. 4.

Kirsch will discuss the Center’s state-of-the-art sustainable features, like straw bale and trombe (water) walls, passive solar design and gray water recycling. He will also address the question of how sustainable buildings will impact our future.

Library News

Bob Simon will speak on “Fleeting Rhyme - Poetry for the Rest of Us,” 7:30 p.m., tonight in the Los Altos Library Program Room. Refreshments will be served.

The Los Altos Library’s book discussion series will feature “Rabbit at Rest” by John Updike 7:30-9 p.m., Nov. 8. Everyone is welcome.

League of Women voters schedules campaign forums

The races for Mountain View City Council, State Assembly No. 22 and State Senate No. 13 will be profiled at a forum scheduled 7-9 tonight, at Mountain View City Hall, 500 Castro St.

The Mountain View race features six challengers running for four open seats: incumbents Mario Ambra, Nancy Noe, Rosemary Stasek and Mary Lou Zoglin, and challengers Matt Pear and Greg Perry.

Calendar

Los Altos Senior Center, 9-3 p.m., Monday through Friday, 97 Hillview Ave.

Wednesday

Community Briefs

The Thursday meeting of the AARP Chapter of the Los Altos Senior Center Area will feature two speakers on the topic, “Getting Quality Medical Care Coverage.”

Erica Jones will represent California Medical Review, a federally-funded, non-profit service organization that specializes in patient advocacy and quality care improvement. Bob Feldman advises hospitals, clinics and health-care providers on the many issues involving patient care, insurance coverage and Medicare. There will be time for questions and group discussions following the speakers’ presentations.

Police Report

Oct. 15, 11:13 a.m., Clark Avenue: Baby locked in a car.

Malicious mischief

Scary Stories

Readers offer spine-tingling tales - just in time for Halloween

With the scariest time of the year right around the corner (next Tuesday, to be precise), we at the Town Crier thought it only appropriate to ask you to share with us your best ghost stories. We’re happy to report that mystery, drama and imagination are all alive and well in Los Altos, as evidenced by this collection of original stories. Next week, we will announce our top three favorites. These standouts will receive prizes, also to be named next week. Meanwhile, we welcome you to weigh in on your favorite story or stories to help us make our choices. Thank you to all who participated and may your Halloween be the spookiest one yet.

Back to basics as LASD continues to struggle with renovations

Amid a detailed Los Altos School District discussion on the renovation and reopening of Covington School, information regarding the possible negative effects of multiple add-alternate bids brought a pause to the proceedings. Finally, board member Duane Roberts said quietly, “I am very uncomfortable with what I am hearing.”

Board members quickly acknowledged, at their Oct. 16 meeting, that they needed professional input regarding bid strategy before any vote on Covington. Because of the tight schedule, they agreed to refer the question to the experienced construction specialists on the Construction Oversight Committee at their meeting Oct. 19. The school board deferred the vote until after the committee’s analysis.

Just what the doctor ordered: MV and Whisman officials back Measure C to merge school districts

Measures having the most direct impact on local communities are placed at the end of the ballot and risk being overlooked. For Mountain View and Whisman school district voters, it is Measure C, the School District Merger Initiative, that is last on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Measure C represents the recommendation of the Joint Reorganization Committee, formed by the MV and Whisman school districts, that the community would be served best by combining the two districts.

Honduran soccer team gets help from local Girl Scouts troops

No, uniforms aren’t required for playing a great game of soccer. But it sure may help the enthusiasm, camaraderie and team spirit for the first girls’ soccer team ever in the far-away town of Nueva Armenia, Honduras.

Los Altos Junior Girl Scouts troops 1079 and 1083 of Almond and Loyola schools, respectively, have been helping to outfit the 18 girls ranging from ages 10-18 in the remote area of Honduras.

Noteworthies

Jeff Pao of Los Altos Hills received a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University May 28.

Susie Lee of Los Altos received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Cornell University May 28.

Schools Briefs

De Anza College will provide a job fair for student and community job seekers, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., today and Thursday, in the Hinson Campus Center.

Fifty representatives from local business and industry will be on campus to collect resumés, discuss available positions and, in some cases, make job offers on the spot. A different set of companies will attend each day.

For 40th year, a ‘Witches’ Delight’ awaits at Santa Rita

Flower children and cats prepare to fend off ghosts, goblins and ghouls at Santa Rita PTA’s 40th annual “Witches’ Delight” Halloween Carnival scheduled 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday at the school, 700 Los Altos Ave.

Santa Rita students (left to right) Kelly Simon, Kendall Simon, Kalyn Nakana and Camryn Nakano await the “spook-tacular” kickoff for this year’s Halloween.

Sports On The Side

Physical therapist Nancy Chan is offering free back and foot roller massages 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, at The Runner’s High, 249 First St., Los Altos. Chan will also answer questions about runner-related injuries and schedule free consultations at her Palo Alto clinic, Back to Fitness. For more information, call Chan at 494-0991 or e-mail her at nancy@backtofitnessspt.com.

Off to the races

St. Francis (25-1) captures Presentation Challenge

Prep Volleyball Roundup

It’s called the Panther Challenge, but the St. Francis High girls volleyball team was hardly challenged last Saturday at Presentation High in San Jose.

First-place Foothill fends off West Valley in women’s water polo

Foothill Roundup

he Foothill College women’s water polo team maintained its hold on first place in the Coast Conference with a 6-4 win at West Valley Oct. 18.

Lancers enduring nightmare season

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t the only Bay Area football team with a winning tradition having a down year.

Check out the St. Francis High football team, which is off to its worst start since 1966. The Lancers sank to 0-8 last Friday with a 12-7 loss to rival Bellarmine (5-3 overall) at San Jose City College.

Kurreck reflects on Olympic experience

Los Altos Hills resident Karen Kurreck went to Australia last month for the Sydney Games with hopes of winning an Olympic gold medal in women’s cycling.

She returned home disappointed, however, unable to win a medal of any kind in either the individual time trial or the road race events.

Titans sweep through national qualifying tourney

The West Bay Titans, a 14-and-under baseball team comprised of players from Los Altos, Mountain View and other Bay Area cities, breezed through their national qualifying tournament Oct. 7 and 8 in Vacaville.

The tournament championship gives the Titans an automatic berth in next July’s United States Sports Specialty Association World Series in Oklahoma.

Eagles can wrap up league title Friday at Gunn

Prep Football Digest

The Los Altos High football team will attempt to accomplish the same goals it did two years ago when it visits Gunn Friday (3:15 p.m. kickoff) in a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division showdown.

On Deck: the local sports lineup for Oct. 25-Nov. 1

Football

Friday

Panthers are purr-fect in girls tennis

Prep Sports Summary

Boys Water Polo

Jean on the Job

B2B technology and other fine ways to lock us in a chair of inactivity

You may be old enough to remember the first supermarket. And you may remember the catalog business - much later than the Sears Roebuck catalog!

Investing for your future with mutual funds

Mutual funds offer an opportunity to participate in the stock market without having to select and manage individual investments.

Experts believe mutual funds offer a higher potential for a better return on your money than do most fixed rate investments. A little-known investment product just a few decades ago, mutual funds are fast becoming the most popular vehicle for all sorts of investors. Total assets for all mutual funds now exceed $5 trillion.

This mom-and-pop mart still stands, thriving under new local operators

Every life has a story to tell. And, it would seem, so does every corner store.

J & R’s Foodland, billed as the last “mom and pop” store in Los Altos, has a rich, oral history that dates back to 1940. The store reopened last month under new operators after a four-month closing.

Business Briefs

El Camino Hospital will be host a series of seminars entitled, “Leave a Legacy for Family and Community by Planning Your Estate,” 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday. The series will feature a variety of seminars:

‘”Investing in the Next Decade and uses of Gift Annuities,” with Les Koonce of Koonce Financial Services.

Some things to worry about

Stock Report

In this period of prosperity, there are some worrisome patterns that reflect onto the stock market.

Bill paying: Tips on keeping it simple

Here are some tips from the experts that will help save time and avoid late payments when paying bills.

Make sure you have a place where you keep all bills.

Transactions

Cupertino

19700 Alderbrook Way - Gagliasso Trust to J. Burns for $677,000.00

Los Altos realtors ‘Casino Night’ produces big bucks for CSA programs

The bidding on the auction item for a week in Maui started at $1,700. A two- bedroom, two-bath condominium with a pool, tennis courts and snorkeling started people thinking about vacations.

Ginna Lazar, a Los Altos real estate broker with Seville Properties, thought about the kids and a wonderful time to relax after a hectic year. Other people wanted to go to Maui and the bidding price escalated.

Opposition replaced with superlatives as farmers’ market ends first season downtown

Exhibitors were remarking last Thursday that the Los Altos Farmers’ Market is the best new farmer’s market in the Bay Area.

“It’s twice as successful as I ever thought it would be,” said Lynn Bagley of the Golden Gate Farmer’s Association. “It attracted a bunch of supporting patrons and many times the farmers said how nice the people were and how supportive they are.”

An alley party and a passion for pins

Strictly Candids

3 TIMES A CHARM: I recently heard about the three Lapcevic graduates that I’ve watched grow-up. A long-time Los Altos resident dentist, Dr. Larry and wife Barbie Lapcevic, must be proud to have three graduates in the family. Nikki, their oldest daughter, graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law and received her undergraduate degree from Cal Poly. Shelley, their third daughter, graduated from Cal Poly majoring in biological science. Derek, the youngest, graduated from St. Francis High School and is attending Cal Poly majoring in business. Guess they’re a Cal Poly family. Nikki, Noelle and Shelley are all Homestead High School graduates. Second daughter, Noelle, lives in Northern California and traveled a long distance to attend Nikki’s graduation. Who knows what the future holds - there may be a fourth graduate from Cal Poly! Congratulations and good luck to the three Lapcevic grads!

Wedding

Carine Green and Derek Ryan were married Sept. 23 at the Monterey Plaza Hotel.

The bride is the daughter of Ethel and Bruce Green of Los Altos.

Engagement

Mary Ann Cimino and John Patrick Shinn have announced their engagement to be married Nov. 4 at Our Lady of Angels Church, Burlingame.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Wilma and John Cimino of Burlingame. She graduated from Mountain View Academy and earned a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Union College, Angwin, and a master’s degree from the College of Notre Dame, Belmont.

Obituaries

Donald Lee Scharfetter died Sept. 23 after a battle with cancer. He was 66.

The first in his family to receive a high school diploma, Mr. Scharfetter completed four years in the U.S. Air Force. He later entered Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA in 1956, where he set a university record by receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1960, his master’s degree in 1961 and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1962.

Memorial service for William Byron Bails

Mr. Bails, a resident of Los Altos since 1959, died Oct. 21.

Renaissance ensembles combining forces in Palo Alto

Two Renaissance ensembles, The Whole Noyse and the Sex ChordÆ Consort will combine forces Friday for a concert titled “Venetian Music For A New Century.”

The concert, presented by The San Francisco Early Music Society, is slated for 8 p.m. at First Lutheran Church in Palo Alto.

No sour ‘Grapes’ about this production

Theater review

TheatreWorks’ production of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes Of Wrath” may send theatergoers back to the prize-winning novel or the celebrated film.

Foothill making ‘Memories’

The Foothill College Drama Department presents “Becoming Memories,” a comedy by award-winning playwright Arthur Giron, Friday through Nov. 12, in Foothill’s Studio Theater.

Evening performances are set for 8 p.m., Friday, Saturday, Nov. 3, 4 and 9-11. Sunday matinees will be at 2 p.m., Nov. 5 and 12.

Flutist Mirabel to play Stanford

Stanford Lively Arts presents native American flutist and composer Robert Mirabel with his troupe of musicians and dancers at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, at Stanford University’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium.

Mirabel began hand-crafting his own wooden flutes when he was 18 and has since devoted himself to music. He has become a master of the traditional “mother tones” of his history and combines sounds from instruments as diverse as native drums and flutes, Australian aboriginal digeridoo, electric guitar, synthesizers and other instruments. The music and Mirabel’s “talking story” narration back up an array of native dancers in traditional costumes.

Garage Door Safety Tips

If you have a garage door opener, or are thinking of installing one, safety is hardly an open-and-shut case. Fortunately, new units offer safety features that make it easier to protect your home and your family.

Here are some safety tips:

Radio garden expert takes on questioners at LA Garden Club

Q: Why didn’t the crepe myrtles bloom in some yards this summer?

A: This was the coolest summer in a long time and there was not enough warmth to make them bloom.

Zen gardens

Mary and Les Kaye: Urban oasis for birds, plants and people

As her own client, Los Altos landscape designer Mary Kaye commissioned the garden she’d always wanted.

Home guide offers Homeowners ways to ‘home in’ on savings

“Home Book: The Ultimate Guide to Repairs, Improvements and Maintenance” (Creative Homeowner, $40) provides repair and improvement tips that could save homeowners a considerable amount of money.

The ‘Ultimate’ guide’s eight tips to conserve energy in

‘Promote your serenity’ with flower arranging, expert says

Margaret Blunt of Atherton traveled to Japan as a young bride and quickly fell in love with Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging. She studied there for 10 years, absorbing underlying principles, as well as all-important practical methods.

“The purpose of flower arranging is to promote your serenity,” Blunt told the Garden Club of Palo Alto recently, as she created arrangements in both eastern and western traditions.

‘Shop within a shop’ opens at Design and Interiors

Business Profile

Visitors to Design and Interiors on State Street may think they’ve stumbled into a time-space

France’s informal spring gardens look like home to this Peninsula visitor

During our spring trip this year to France, to barge on the Burgogne Canal, we were delighted to discover gardens and flowers everywhere. Vast displays of flora in the lush countryside were spectacular, and the gardening Burgundian villagers grew their small plantings in narrow streets, in market squares and in home courtyards. All of these vignettes portrayed a people with love of beauty expressed in their spring gardens.

Our week on the canal barge, Litote, brought us into direct contact with the European landscape, particularly when we walked along the canal tow-path. Wildflowers edged the canal with drifts of white daisies and red poppies spilling into fields.

France’s informal spring gardens look like home to this Peninsula visitor

During our spring trip this year to France, to barge on the Burgogne Canal, we were delighted to discover gardens and flowers everywhere. Vast displays of flora in the lush countryside were spectacular, and the gardening Burgundian villagers grew their small plantings in narrow streets, in market squares and in home courtyards. All of these vignettes portrayed a people with love of beauty expressed in their spring gardens.

Our week on the canal barge, Litote, brought us into direct contact with the European landscape, particularly when we walked along the canal tow-path. Wildflowers edged the canal with drifts of white daisies and red poppies spilling into fields.

Simple cost-saving tips to help winterize your home’s energy

The three largest energy wasters in the home are windows, doors and openings such as electrical outlets. By dedicating a few dollars to home winterization you can easily decrease money spent on energy in your home.

In fact, the return is relatively swift: The cost of home winterization, can usually be paid back in energy savings in less than one year.

Home Briefs

Ruth Troetschler of Los Altos will assist gardeners whose apple or pear crop was in need of help this year. She will present a class, “Caring for Fruit Trees,” from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Oct. 28, at the Common Ground Store, 2225 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. Cost is $15, with a discount for seniors and low-income people. To register or for more information, call Common Ground at 328-6752. Common Ground will also present a class, “Composting,” at 10:30 a.m., Nov. 11.

Garden structure instructions

Valley of the Heart’s Delight sponsors event titled ‘Grow Your Own’ to promote home-grown produce

Everyone who enjoys organic food and would like to learn more about food gardens is invited to attend “Grow Your Own: A Regional Networking Event,” scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo Alto.

Food gardeners who want to meet others and create networks to share know-how, seeds, produce and/or tools; residents with garden space who would like someone to help them grow food; and people with organic food-growing skills who are looking for garden space will hear speakers like Claire Cummings, food and gardens editor for KPFA radio and Jim Nelson and Teri Chanturai of Camp Joy Gardens in Boulder Creek.

Revealing a weakness for pink satin and white lace

Roominations

Just for fun, I like to recall certain domestic rooms which linger in my memory, some of which are indelibly imprinted in many other people’s minds, as well.