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Archives » 2001 » Volume 54 , Issue 32, Published on Wednesday, August 8, 2001NewsPolice ReportAug. 2, 11:29 a.m., Miramonte and Lorraine avenues: Police arrested a motorist suspected of driving while intoxicated. Suspicious vehicle Los Altos burned by DSL?
With few alternatives, fast Internet access depends on Pacific Bell For many people, Internet access at home has become an important portal to the world. With the endless possibilities that it brings, people are shopping, working, meeting and learning online, all from a comfortable chair. The proliferation of household Internet usage over the last few years has spurred increased demand for high-speed residential Internet access. LAH prezoning paves the way for Mora Drive sewer extensionA small group of homeowners in San Antonio Hills probably breathed a sigh of relief last week. After leaping the last legal hurdle in a nearly two-year bureaucratic battle - approval for prezoning by the Los Altos Hills City Council - 16 residents along Mora Drive can now legally construct a sewer extension at their own expense. The extension will replace the aging septic tanks in their nearly 70-year-old neighborhood. Last Thursday evening, the Los Altos Hills City Council approved prezoning for a portion of an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County, located east/southeast of Los Altos Hills and southwest of the 280 Freeway. The prezoned area includes properties on Ravensbury Avenue, West Loyola Drive, Mora Drive, a portion of Magdalena Avenue and several smaller streets and cul-de-sacs. It does not include properties south of Magdalena and west of 280, at the northwestern corner of San Antonio Hills. Termites, beetles are unwelcome visitors to Los Altos Hills Town Hall chambersLos Altos Hills Town Hall offices closed a half-day early Friday in order for staff to rid themselves of some unwelcome residents - two species of termites as well as some beetles. Exterminators tented both the town hall and council chamber buildings Friday afternoon to exterminate the subterranean and dry wood termites and their beetle companions. The tents remained in place until Sunday, and the 44-year-old town hall building was open for business again Monday morning. News BriefsThe Los Altos City Council last week agreed to pay $55,765 to Royston Hanmoto Alley & Abey to draft an engineering plan for the San Antonio Road and El Camino Real Landscaping Project included in the city’s budget. The improvements would include relandscaping the median island along San Antonio Road from Mt. Hamilton to El Camino, adding irrigation improvements and possible landscape improvements to sidewalk and shoulder areas. Downtown hotel may have to wait 5 years
Los Altos Downtown Los Altos might not see a hotel at the city-owned lot on the corner of First and Main streets for at least another half-decade if the current business owners who lease the site have a say in the matter. Community mourns the death of local bicyclist who disappearedLos Altos Hills A memorial for the 22-year-old bicyclist who disappeared from Los Altos Hills last month is scheduled for 7 p.m., today at Stanford University. City looks at ways to add 162 new homes to inventoryLos Altos State law mandates city find space for affordable housing Palo Alto Medical Foundation temporarily turns away new primary-care patientsThe Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) will not accept new primary care patients at its Palo Alto, Los Altos, Fremont and Redwood Shores locations for an indefinite period of time, officials announced last week. Staff physicians in family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics expressed their concern that additional patients could adversely affect the quality care currently provided for members of the medical group. A number of physicians are reaching retirement age and recruiting additional staff has been difficult because of a critical shortage of medical professionals in Northern California. CommentDonations for town hall: Are they serious?Los Altos Hills, led by Mayor Toni Casey, is undertaking an ambitious fund-raiser to rebuild Town Hall. Casey said that council members have already pledged $250,000 toward the estimated $3 million cost. She expects the remainder of the funds to come from the charitable contributions of the town’s affluent residents. We salute the council members for putting up their own money. A quarter-million dollars makes for a nice jump-start toward the funding goal. We appreciate Casey’s enthusiasm and belief that town residents love Los Altos Hills as much as she does and want to see it represented by an updated, earthquake-safe facility. OpinionLetters to the EditorI wish the citizens of our beautiful town would stop playing the “darts” game directed at our city’s officials and start showing their support, assistance and partnership in the task of making our life here even more comfortable. The constant attack on the town’s mayor and the city council, who were actually chosen by all of us in a very democratic election, is counterproductive, does not solve any problems, just creates a very unpleasant, lacking pride environment that we don’t want our children to inherit. Mid-life crisisThe Living Experiment It’s probably not a good idea to turn 40 and become unemployed within the space of a month. Both events are bound to spark a bout of introspection, which at best is a healthy appraisal of one’s life and at worst is an exercise in self-indulgent wallowing. I figure since 40 is midlife, any prolonged wallowing that takes place around that age qualifies as a midlife crisis. I am doing my best to avoid this. Author recalls charmed childhood in Los AltosOther Voices Editor’s note: Best-selling author Linda Sivertsen was inspired by news of the ongoing fund-raising effort to enhance theater renovations at Los Altos Mountain View high schools. The result is this piece, exclusive to the Town Crier, about her experiences in local theater. For more information about the fund-raising effort, see page 23 in this week’s issue. Entertainment, barbecue are in store for 18th annual Westwind ‘Hoedown’Far from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley, historic Westwind Barn’s 18th annual fund-raiser will be held in scenic Los Altos Hills on Sept. 8. The “Hoedown,” know for its entertainment and tasty barbecue, will open with a rousing performance by the barn’s Drill Team strutting to music on horseback. This will be followed by a pole-bending and jumping demonstration by youth members of the Pacific Ridge Pony Club, a display of graceful ballet-like dressage and an exhibition by young disabled 4-H riders. CommunityLocal artists contribute to Red Cross auctionTown Crier Editorial Intern Just like salt and pepper, Batman and Robin, and bread and butter, there’s a commonly accepted marriage of art and wine. Perhaps it has something to do with wine being conducive to contemplation and intellectual discourse, or maybe art evokes a yearning for wine. Westwind barn in LAH holds buffalo benefitMichael Mease, co-founder of the Buffalo Field Campaign, and Darrell Geist, executive director of Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers will present video clips from the field and discuss the slaughter of the nation’s remnant native heard of buffalo. Buffalo Field Campaign was founded in 1997 to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd, protect the natural habitat of wild free roaming buffalo and native wildlife, and to work with people of all nations to honor the sacredness of the wild buffalo. Owls released at Hidden Villa to address gopher threatWildlife Rescue Inc. and Hidden Villa Farm in Los Altos Hills became environmental education partners July 30 when four adult barn owls were released in front of 25 urban-bound children who had started their first day of Farm & Wilderness Camp. Hidden Villa officials hope that the owls, all rescued by members of the community and rehabilitated by Wildlife Rescue’s raptor team, will help control the farm’s gopher population. Community BriefsThe Chefs Who Care benefit dinner is scheduled for Monday at Michael’s at Shoreline, with two seatings, 5 and 6:30 p.m. Dinner will be an Italian Country Buffet including salad, rosemary chicken, penne pasta, vegetables and tiramisu. If prepaid by tomorrow, admission is adults $20; children, 6-12, $10, including gratuity. Mail checks payable to: Chefs Who Care, 204 Stierlin Road, Mountain View, 94943. At the door: $22 and $12. For Visa/Mastercard 24 hour phone service, call 961-3584. Library NewsTo conclude the children’s and preschoolers’ summer reading programs, the Los Altos Library will hold special events this week. Children who joined the Summer Reading Club and read 10 or more books may come to the Los Altos Library’s Program Room between 1 and 8 p.m. today to pick up their certificate and free book. Desperate times in Silicon ValleyTown Crier Correspondent Laid-off corporate workers going to CSA for food, rent money Town Crier sponsors West Bay’s ‘Faust’The Los Altos Town Crier will again be the exclusive media sponsor for West Bay Opera’s fall performance. Music Director Henry Mollicone and Stage Director Christopher Harlan will open the Opera’s 46th season Oct. 12 with Gounod’s “Faust.” The lyric drama, inspired by Goethe’s poetic setting of the Faust legend, brings an abundance of lustrous melodies, brilliant arias and duets, the mocking songs of a sardonic Mephistopheles and the sweeping melodies of the famous Waltz. Nova Vista Symphony selects Mehta as new music directorFrom a field of 85 applicants, The Nova Vista Symphony’s Board of Directors has named Navroj Mehta as permanent music director. His first concert in his new post will open the orchestra’s 36th season Nov. 3 at Foothill College. As outreach conductor with the San Diego Symphony, Mehta has been hailed as “charming and informative” by the San Diego Union Tribune. MVHS photography teacher becomes assistant principalDonna Peltz will be doing her usual this year -working with students and faculty at Mountain View High School. But this time it will be as assistant principal and director of student activities. Peltz is assuming the position from Matt Neely, who is on a year’s sabbatical. Peltz has taught photography and coordinated the art department at Mountain View High School for the past seven years. Schools2001 election voter registration essentialsA citizen can register to vote in the next election in a number of ways: Download a registration form in PDF format from www.sccvote.org/Register.htm. High schools seek funds to furnish new theatersTown Crier Editorial Intern The new multiuse buildings on the Mountain View and Los Altos high school campuses, designed to house 350-seat theaters, are scheduled for completion this fall. The buildings are part of the $58 million bond measure approved in June 1995. NoteworthiesMark DeVaughn of Los Altos graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in newspaper journalism. Jessica Rachel Files of Los Altos received her master’s of arts degree from the University of Delaware, Newark. School BriefsCollege bound high school seniors must have registration for the college admissions and placement exam postmarked by Aug. 17. The test fee is $24. Students can register for the ACT with their counselors or online at: www.act.org. Little Acorn School celebrates anniversary Davis’ unexpected budget cuts slash into Foothill-De Anza fundingWhen Gov. Gray Davis approved the 2001-2002 state budget last week with a $2.6 billion reserve, he also approved taking an unexpected total of $2,763,267 away from the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. According to the Community College League of California, $1,463,906 was removed from the district’s maintenance budget and $1,299,361 from the equipment budget. Challenger filing means Los Altos School District will hold board electionCandidates have until Friday to file for three open 4-year seats on the new Los Altos School District Board of Trustees. But it is already clear that there will be a board election on Nov. 6. That’s because a challenger, William Cooper, has filed along with all three incumbents up for re-election, Jay Thomas, Victor Reed and Duane Roberts. Recent elections have gone uncontested due to a lack of challengers. Freshman OrientationFreshman orientation is scheduled 9 a.m. to noon, Aug. 24. Parents are asked to drop students in the student parking lot, between the school and the district office. Students should proceed to the science quad. For more information, call 940-4600. Los Altos High School: MV Bobby Sox make Round of 8 at national softball tournamentAccording to coach Terry McHugh, a 23-0 loss would have been easier to accept than the way his Mountain View All-Stars were eliminated from the Bobby Sox National Tournament of Champions in Buena Park. “Losing by one run in extra innings is even more frustrating,” said McHugh, referring to Mountain View’s 2-1 loss to Vacaville in the Round of 8. “It kind of makes you think of what you could have done to win.” SportsSports On The SideThe Third Annual Chronicle Classic 5 Mile Run, co-sponsored by Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, is set for Sunday. Entry fee is $25. Race day registration begins at 7 a.m., with the race starting at 8:15 a.m. The course takes runners through downtown Palo Alto and along the edge of Stanford University Campus. The overall men’s and women’s first place finishers each receive a round-trip package for two to Hawaii for one week, including airfare and car rental. There will be a post-race party including refreshments, sponsor giveaways, raffle prizes and live music. For more information, call 463-4920. Get physical Post 375 ousted from American Legion Area 2 tourneyPalo Alto Post 375 opened the American Legion Area 2 Tournament with a game its players won’t soon forget. The rest of the tournament, however, wasn’t nearly as memorable for the summer league baseball team. After rallying from an eight-run deficit to beat the Lafayette Generals, Post 375 dropped its next two games to find itself on the outside of the double-elimination event, held July 24-29 in Union City. Covington swims to 2nd at league finalsThe Los Altos-based Covington Swim Team placed second out of six teams in the West Bay Swim League Championships, held July 28 at Sequoia High in Redwood City. The highlight of the meet was Covington’s Lindsay Tice breaking the league record in the girls 13-14 division 50-yard butterfly by nearly a second. Town Crier seeking sports story ideas for the summerSummer’s here, and that means the high school and college teams the Town Crier usually covers are on a break. The Town Crier sports department doesn’t go on a break, though, and is on the lookout for summer sports stories. Pony team wins section, falls in regionalAlthough the Los Altos-Mountain View Pony Baseball All-Stars were eliminated after three games in last week’s regional tournament, it doesn’t take away from the section title they won July 28. LA-MV captured the Pony Division (ages 13-14) Mid-Peninsula Section Tournament with a 9-1 victory over Half Moon Bay in the championship game at Rosita Field in Los Altos. Palo Alto Oaks drop doubleheader to Saratoga SoxThe Palo Alto Oaks lost both ends of last Sunday’s doubleheader against the host Saratoga Sox. The Oaks, a Stan Musial League baseball team with college players from the Los Altos area, fell 11-5 and 8-0 at West Valley College. Roark makes her point
When the East Bay Xplosion lost its point guard to a knee injury prior to the Amateur Athletic Union National Championships, the under-13 girls basketball team didn’t panic. That’s because the Xplosion knew it could turn to Los Altos resident Daniela Roark, the team’s starter at shooting guard, to fill the void. What to say to your departing colleagueJean on the Job Farewell parties are not ceremonial and traditional this season. They are quiet goodbyes without much fanfare. BusinessBetter layout at Arts & Wine Festival helps LAVA coffersTown Crier Correspondent The 2001 Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival was a cool event in more ways than the weather. Happy children packed the KIDZONE, artists were delighted with the festival attendees, and financially the event exceeded budget projections. Resident wins sweepstakes at Dennis RichJuly was the month for contests and awards promoted during the Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival. Dennis White, a Los Altos resident, stopped by Dennis Rich Fine Men’s Apparel and filled out an entry form for the Rich Man’s San Francisco Sweepstakes. He said he never wins anything but he filled out the entry form anyway. OnLine Capital changes name to Transpac Mortgage GroupSam Khadder and Bob Crammer-Brown, principals of OnLine Capital, have changed the name of their mortgage company to Transpac Mortgage Group. In 1997, they signed a technology-sharing agreement with OnLine Capital and operated the residential mortgage business under the name OnLine Capital Los Altos/Palo Alto. Since then they have become technologically self-sufficient. Employees: Don’t count your stock options before they’re hatchedSteven Zeller Employee stock options have become a popular way to supplement employees’ income, but few employees understand how they can be left holding the bag if they leave their jobs. Business BriefsThe inaugural Air Expo is scheduled to be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Mountain View. The exposition will feature aerial performers. The historic Hangar One is slated to hold the Technology Pavilion, a showcase of new and emerging technologies in aeronautics and information technology. Local women’s shops enhance fall styles with personal service and expertise
Weary of chain stores and the lack of personal service at regional malls, local shoppers can find relief while browsing for fall fashions at the seven women’s apparel stores located in Los Altos. The shops feature this season’s best styles in a variety of colors, as well as the quality and personalized service customers prefer, local merchants said. The look for fall includes classically styled clothes in muted or neutral tones, accented with touches of bright color and accessories such as jewelry, scarves and belts. Is the Wall Street bull looking for a high-tech rebound? MaybeStock Report Was that the sound of the raging bull getting ready to rumble last week? Or, was he just scratching the earth to let you know he’s still around? MV Center celebrating anniversary with free showcaseThe Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Castro and Mercy streets, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a free showcase performance 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, The showcase honors the center’s first decade of bringing theater, music, dance and other cultural events to Mountain View and the Bay Area. Special SectionProgress cited in development of state’s high school exit examsAn independent evaluation of the California High School Exit Exam has found that progress has been made in the development of the test overall and in the state’s efforts to provide students with the opportunity to learn the material on the exam. Starting with the high school class of 2004, California students must pass the exit exam - in addition to meeting other criteria - to get a high school diploma. Latest tech gadgets now part of standard school suppliesFrom notebook computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to PlayStation 2 and DVD players, college students are heading to campus with the latest tech gadgets. From Speak ‘n Spell to graphing calculators and notebook computers, today’s college students have grown up with technology at their fingertips. Back to School shopping includes computers for all grade levelsTown Crier Correspondent There was a time when students took their hi-fis back to college, but today most entering students bring a computer instead. Napster has made computer geeks out of many students, and besides being a research tool the computer is now a form of recreation. Back to school also means back to fund raisingTown Crier Editorial Intern As the first day of school looms closer, parents must begin feeding money into their children’s outstretched hands for school supplies, new clothes, and all the necessities that their children will need for another school year. Backpacks remain safest bag for back-to-schoolAs the school year approaches, it’s time to load up the kids with a stock of new supplies and gadgets for all their classroom needs. While school-bound youngsters are wondering how to cram “necessities” into school bags, parents may be concerned about safety when it comes to carrying around the added weight. The majority of elementary school students (97 percent) will be sporting a backpack this year, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Lands’ End. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) reassures parents that a properly worn backpack is still the best way for kids to tote their treasures safely. Children of high-tech workers fill German School of Silicon ValleyTown Crier Correspondent You don’t have to be German to go to Deutsche Schule of Silicon Valley, but it might help. A figure of speechTown Crier Correspondent Peninsula Associates helps clients improve their communications Learning success can start at Sylvan Learning CenterTown Crier Correspondent Call it a helping hand, but if your child struggles in school and lacks the basic study skills necessary in math, reading or writing, Sylvan Learning Center is there to help. PeopleBirthsA son was born March 7 to Aracely and Jose Luis Valledares of Mountain View. A daughter was born March 10 to Victoria Martinez-Godinez and Jose Moreno-Silva of Mountain View. AnniversariesToivo and Betty Koski celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Jan. 26. They met at UC Berkeley and were married in the chapel of the First Congregational Church in Berkeley Jan. 26, 1951. ObituariesSusan “Suzel” Rose Zelezny DuPlantis died Aug. 2 after being diagnosed in early May with lung cancer. A native of Burbank, she was 43. Mrs. DuPlantis graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Biology in 1980. Spiritual LifeNancy Madigan remains a profile in courage after death of two husbands, marriage to thirdArleen Dean and Nancy Madigan, a tall, attractive Redwood City school teacher, whose Irish wit and irrepressible Celtic humor are her survival kit, have been friends for 35 years. “I needed a keynote speaker who had walked the road of grief,” for a potluck luncheon at St. William’s Church in Los Altos, Arleen said. Stepping OutVeteran actors keep ‘River’ flowing
Theater Review The plot of Joe DiPietro’s “Over The River And Through The Woods” will sound familiar notes for almost everyone, whether you be Italian, Jewish, Polish, German or of another tight ethnic background. Shakespeare’s ‘Gentlemen’ opening FridayThe Shady Shakespeare Theater Company opens its Free Shakespeare In The Park production of “The Two Gentlemen Of Verona” this weekend at Rengstorff Park Amphitheater, 201 S. Rengstorff Ave., Mountain View. Performances start at 7 p.m., Friday through Sunday, and will repeat the same weekly schedule through Aug. 26. |
In Our OpinionLetters to the Editor
Leo Long earns local honorsIn the April 30 issue of the Town Crier, you were right to congratulate and thank Dick Henning from Foothill College for four decades of service to the community. I met him at Foothill as student body president more years ago than I’ll admit. Great guy. |
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