Fiscal downtrend may delay city gym at Egan

Financial uncertainties could delay the construction of the city-owned gym planned for Egan Intermediate School indefinitely.

An anticipated $2 million grant from a local foundation for construction costs could be cut in half due to the recent economic downturn, and money from the sale of the city’s former sewage treatment property is on hold until the property sells, city staff said last week.

Day worker center looking for location, funding

Town Crier Editorial Intern

Since the St. Joseph the Worker Center shut its doors Oct. 31, day workers have been lining along El Camino Real looking for employment.

Star search

How will local girls basketball teams replace all those greats who graduated?

Los Altos High

Council asks home owners to make modern house ‘more friendly’

Los Altos

A contemporary-style home planned for Benvenue Avenue could fit into the neighborhood character following some minor design changes, the Los Altos City Council decided last week.

Centers processing local mail test negative for anthrax contamination

Holiday mailing schedule

Los Altos

Neighbors oppose traffic circle

Los Altos

The Los Altos City Council last week gave the green light for a traffic-calming plan near Loyola School that includes the city’s first roundabout, despite strong neighborhood opposition.

News Briefs

City prepares residents for disaster

The Mountain View Chamber of Commerce has scheduled an Emergency Preparedness Forum 8:30-10 a.m., Thursday, at 1000 Villa St.

City agrees to process sewer connections

Los Altos Hills

Los Altos Hills temporarily will administer applications for all new sanitary sewer connections to the Los Altos Basin until a new Master Sewer Plan is completed in about two-and-a-half years.

Police report

Nov. 27, 11:21 a.m. and 12:38 p.m., Main Street: Police received calls from merchants at two separate locations who reported petty thefts in progress.

Suspicious letter

Giving, receiving and volunteering

“It is better to give than receive,” the smug, mocking voice tells the listener as it touts the virtues of a Jaguar as a holiday gift. The radio commercial urges us to be self-indulgent. Its subliminal message: Go ahead, buy yourself something really expensive - don’t worry about the state of the economy, or the world, for that matter - let them all eat cake.

No doubt many of us shrug, or are even amused by the unintentional anti-holiday sentiment of this ad. Most of us see beyond the transparency, and truly believe giving is better than getting. Gifts, giving and receiving, among our families will always be a part of Christmas. But the most important aspect of the holidays is giving to someone less fortunate, someone whose plight you might never have thought about or encountered had you not thought of helping.

A leisurely stroll at Shoreline

A View from the Hills

A walk along the man-made lake at Shoreline is a stress reliever in time of trouble. I make time to stroll leisurely. No power walk, or goal-oriented outing. Just laid-back meandering to savor a landscape of blue waters, azure skies, green grass, and drooping willows with clipped hairlines reminiscent of little boys whose mothers have inverted a bowl on their head and cut their hair.

Letters to the Editor

About 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 26, the large old oak tree on University Avenue in front of my house split in two. The larger trunk fell with a crash into the street taking with it the electrical line. It started some small fires from the sparks.

The police and fire department responded very quickly and had the situation under control. A policeman came to our door to reassure and explain to us how it was going to be handled and urged us to stay inside. About 2 a.m., our city tree maintenance crew came and, using their chain saws and grinders, cleaned up the mess. It took them about six hours. They were very efficient and hard-working and we appreciate them very much.

Roundabout we go with Los Altos council

Other Voices

Has the Los Altos City Council been hijacked by the deep-pocketed Roundabout Lobby? As absurd as this tongue-in-cheek question sounds, I can only explain the Nov. 27 actions of the city council by referring to my Alice in Wonderland Field Guide.

CSA counting on generous donations this holiday season

Town Crier Correspondent

Sept. 11 disaster relief captured the lion’s share of the nation’s philanthropy, and rightly so. But in the process, local charities were often forgotten.

More unsung local volunteers honored at 19th annual community service awards

Town Crier Correspondent

More unsung volunteers received their overdue credit at an event last week created to give such people a big community thank-you.

Our hero, our son’s angel

Looking Back, Moving Forward

This article departs from the norm. Last Friday our son, JJ, walked out of the house. In many ways he is a typical teenager. He’s a wonderful boy, healthy, enthusiastic and increasingly independent. He also has Down syndrome.

Town Crier Holiday Fund 2001 helps area’s needy

The Town Crier Holiday Fund was established last year to help needy residents across Santa Clara County. In its first year, the fund reached $60,000. This year, the fund begins with $41,000 in matching funds to encourage more people to contribute.

All promotional and administrative costs are covered by the Town Crier, so 100 percent of the donations reach the needy. The Community Foundation Silicon Valley is the fiscal partner with the Holiday Fund, making all contributions tax-deductible.

Professor strives to keep folklore alive and well

Alan Dundes, professor of anthropology and folklore at the University of California at Berkeley, came to the Morning Forum of Los Altos Nov. 13 to talk about folklore. Folklore, he said, comes in many different forms, including myths, folk tales, legends, folk dances, proverbs, riddles, superstitions, games, songs and narratives.

The professor doesn’t equate folklore with “error,” as people often do when they tell a story and then dismiss it as “that’s just folklore.” But he admitted that some folklore is not true. George Washington never did chop down a cherry tree, he said.

Red Cross snatches former MV Superintendent Bubenik

Town Crier Correspondent

The board of directors for the Palo Alto Area Chapter of the American Red Cross named Dr. Patricia (Trish) Bubenik executive director of the chapter effective Monday.

Library News

site for food

The Los Altos main library is again a collection site for food for the hungry in our community. Collection barrels from the Second Harvest Food Bank will be in the library through the end of December.

Calendar

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

Thursday

Community Briefs

The Foothill Orchestra has scheduled a benefit, “Star Spangled Bonanza,” 7:30 p.m., Dec. 15, at Smithwick Theater on the Foothill College campus.

The Foothill Orchestra will be joined by the Menlo Park Community Chorus, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Choir, the Foothill College Choir and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard.

One-of-a-kind gifts in Los Altos

Original Indian art and jewelry at home exhibition and fund-raiser

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for that very special person in your life, Madhvi Pratt and Ruchi Kothari believe they have the solution. They have scheduled an exhibition of their retail collections of original Indian art and jewelry at Pratt’s Los Altos home Saturday and Sunday. Five percent of the earnings from the exhibition will benefit the World Trade Center Relief Fund.

Foothill-De Anza district to join NASA in R&D campus at Moffett Field

Town Crier Correspondent

One of NASA’s goals is to establish a world class, shared-use research and development campus at the Ames Research Center at Moffett Field. The Foothill-De Anza Community College District proposes to form a new partnership with NASA Ames to build and support these educational and research facilities.

Noteworthies

Martin Roland, a Mountain View High School graduate and student at California State University at Chico, has received the Lt. Robert Merton Rawlins Merit Award, a $2,000 scholarship.

Martha Mohammed, a nursing student at De Anza College, was recently awarded a $1,800 Kaider health-care scholarship and a $5,000 President’s Award.

Los Altos native revises fifth edition of area school selection book

Town Crier Editorial Intern

It’s no surprise that Nancy Gill calls herself a “self-described education junkie.” Gill has worked for over 30 years in education, teaching at public, private and experimental schools at all levels. In the fifth edition of her 1985 book “A Parent’s Guide to School Selection,” Gill updates the information about local public and private schools, as well as including a look at recent education issues.

High school theaters open to the public for hard-hat tours

The High School Performing Arts Facilities Fund Committee has scheduled a public hard-hat tour of the two new 350-seat performing arts facilities, Eagle Theater at Los Altos High and Spartan Theater at Mountain View High, 1-3 p.m., Sunday.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the community to see how the theaters are laid out and really get a feeling for what it’s all about,” said John Moss, chairman of the committee. “The property owners are paying for all of this construction and this is a chance to find out where all the money is going.”

Schools Briefs

Eighth-graders and their parents are invited to attend information nights to learn more about Los Altos and Mountain View high schools. Mountain View High has scheduled its orientation 7 p.m., tonight, in the gym at 3535 Truman Ave. Los Altos High has scheduled its orientation 7 p.m., tomorrow, in the gym at 201 Almond Ave. For more information about Mountain View High, call Assistant Principal Cristy Dawson at 960-8875. For Los Altos High, call Assistant Principal Diane Tavenner at 940-4604.

Winter concert by MVHS

Southbay Christian School promotes ‘family atmosphere’ in education

In an area where residents demand strong academics, the morals and ethics that are also part of a strong education are often downplayed. At Southbay Christian School in Mountain View, these values are placed on the same level with reading and math.

Principal Grace Fontanilla stressed the “family atmosphere” that pervades this nondenominational school on Miramonte Avenue, where parents put in nearly as much time as their children.

LAHS senior organizes second blood drive

Last year Leyna Lightman spent her 17th birthday donating blood. That’s how passionate this Los Altos High School (LAHS) senior is about giving blood. She followed that up by organizing a blood drive at her school.

“I went to the Stanford Medical School Blood Center on my birthday,” Lightman said. “The opportunity had never been given to my school. We had never had a blood drive. I thought, what a great resource,” said Lightman as to why she began organizing blood drives at Los Altos High in conjunction with the Stanford Blood Center last year. She organized her second blood drive this year on Nov. 26.

LASD schools chief: board to decide on parcel tax hike soon

1. Marge, can you tell me what kinds of challenges the district faces with the budget for the next school year?

Answer: For the next school year (2002-03), we will be looking at major cutbacks unless the community supports a parcel tax increase in the spring. Our state and federal funding alone does not pay for the excellent educational program our children receive, and we must rely on local sources of funds, primarily the parcel tax and the Los Altos Educational Foundation, to make up the difference. The Community Advisory Committee for Finance has recommended that the board increase the parcel tax enough to allow us to continue the current level of program without cuts, and the board will determine what that increase will need to be within the next few weeks.

Sports On The Side

The Foothill College women’s basketball team won the consolation championship of the Shasta Invitational last Sunday with a 78-46 win over Santa Rosa. The Owls (4-2) were paced by St. Francis High graduate Betsy Butterick’s 21 points. Foothill went 2-1 in the tournament, upsetting Sierra, ranked sixth in the state, 79-74 in overtime Saturday. Tranikya Price led the Owls with 33 points, scoring 11 in overtime St. Francis grad Dokesha Meacham was Foothill’s leading rebounder.

What an ‘Adventure’

Foothill blanks Redwoods to win Kiwanis Bowl

Town Crier Correspondent

The Foothill College football program has produced an impressive four-year run few community colleges in the state can match.

A Spartan success story

Colleges pursuing Mtn. View runners Hooper and Nelson

Off the football field, one is an extrovert, the other an introvert. On the field, these two Mountain View High teammates pushed each other to improve. They have built a lasting friendship, but soon will likely part company.

On Deck: the local sports lineup for Dec. 5-11

Boys Basketball

Today

Lancers shoot for the top

Other area teams hoping to improve

Boys Basketball Season Preview

Gysin leads Lancers to state crown

It seems the St. Francis High girls volleyball team never takes its eyes off the prize.

Shortly after defeating Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) in five games Saturday to claim their second straight state Division II title, the Lancers began looking ahead to next season.

From Harry Potter to horses

Downtown Los Altos stores offer toys, books and clothing for every child’s tastes

What an adult wants most when giving a child a holiday gift is that the recipient derive lasting enjoyment from that gift, whether it’s a toy, a craft kit, a book or a special outfit. Shoppers are likely to find that gift among a huge selection of items in downtown Los Altos stores.

Some investors selling, hope to buy back for less

Stock Report

You don’t get a second chance on Wall Street. I don’t know who said that, but a lot of investors are taking this opportunity to sell different equities and buy them back on the cheap in early 2002.

Home buyers: Don’t wait when it comes to maintaining credit health

By the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors

Establishing and maintaining a good credit report is extremely important for purchasing a home. When it’s time to obtain a home loan, a home buyer’s credit history is the main way that a mortgage lender can gauge a person’s ability to manage money and loans. Don’t wait until it’s too late to pay attention to credit health.

Transactions

814 Amber Lane - Jones Trust to B. & S. Khodadad for $970,000.00

1437 Gilmore Street - M. & M. Stiff to K. Keech for $597,500.00

Flint offers 20 performances of ‘Nutcracker’

For the first time, Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley will mount its production of “The Nutcracker” at the Flint Center at De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino.

The perennial holiday favorite, with choreography by Dennis Nahat, will play an expanded schedule of 20 performances from Friday through Dec. 23.

BMW’s 330 Ci is silky smooth

There’s always a king of the hill. In the world of sports sedans, the unquestioned king is the BMW 3-series.

The press kits for at least seven cars that I’ve reviewed in the past year contain the claim that their car “is as good as the BMW 3-series.”

CCFA seeking used vehicles

The Greater Bay Area Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is asking people to donate their used cars, trucks and motor homes to help those afflicted with inflammatory bowel diseases.

The “Cars For A Cure” program gives the maximum tax deduction allowed by law, while helping to fight digestive diseases.

Preparing your teen for winter driving

As parents, have you taught your teen-ager the dos and don’ts of safe winter driving?

There are unwritten rules that come with the driving experience that teens lack.

Ready for a change? Kendall offers tips for changing a vehicle’s oil

The Kendall Motor Oil Technical Service Department offers the following tips for changing an automobile’s oil:

Change the oil every 90 days or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, or depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations.

NIASE offers suggestions for maintaining SUVS

Like their automobile cousins, sport-utility vehicles last longer, operate more efficiently and command a higher resale value when they are properly maintained and serviced.

For those too busy or too overwhelmed to perform their own maintenance, the non-profit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence offers some advice on choosing a repair establishment:

Anniversaries

Jack and Beverly Hollen of Mountain View celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary June 30 in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National parks with their children Jack Hollen Jr.; Kathy Davis and her husband Phil; and grandchildren Jack and James Davis. Friends, Mark and Virginia Kemp, joined the family for the anniversary dinner at Grant’s Village Lake Restaurant in Yellowstone Park.

Prior to returning home, the couple enjoyed a summer vacation at their son’s cabin in McCall, Idaho.

Obituaries

Kelly Romero died Nov. 19. A native of Illinois, she was 73.

Mrs. Romero was an elementary school teacher in the Mountain View School District.

Noteworthies

Wortz, who was honored last month, was active in college activities. In her junior year she was listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

She was the only woman among a group of 10 who took part in the first Civilian Pilot Training Program at Catawba College and received her private pilot’s license in January 1941. The war broke out during her senior year.

Engagements

Karen Mathews and Keith Fink have announced their engagement to be married Jan. 19 at St. Vincent de Paul, San Francisco. A reception will be held at the Mark Hopkins Hotel.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Dee and Ted Mathews of Singer Island, Fla. She graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Ill., and received her bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in business administration from Northwestern University. She is employed as a marketing consultant.

Young Los Altos riders capture first-place finishes

Two young Los Altos riders were first-place finishers in a competition at the Los Altos Hounds-sponsored autumn “Hunter Pace,” a traditional foxhunt event every November at the Woodside-based Horse Park.

Alice Adriaenssens, 13, and Laura Krieger, 12, completed the three-mile long “Hilltopper” class only four seconds off the desired tim, atop their horses Hobby Horse and Mahogany, respectively. They are members of the Pacific Ridge Pony Club at Westwind Barn in Los Altos Hills.

Weddings

Jennifer Ann Strainis and Geoffrey Bernard Seiff were married Oct. 7 at the Church of St. Mary, Lake Forest, Ill. A reception was held at the Midlane Country Club, Wadsworth, Ill. The wedding was officiated by Father John Moulder, the bride’s uncle, and by Rabbi David Kudan. The bride is the daughter of Frank and Susan Strainis of Lake Bluff, Ill. She is a 1994 graduate of Lake Forest High School and a 1998 graduate of Monmouth College with a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish. She is employed in Finance and Human Relations at Royal Energy, San Diego.The groom is the son of the late Alvin Seiff and Julia Seiff of Los Altos. He graduated from Los Altos High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in management science from the University of California, San Diego. He is employed as a project manager with Wells Fargo Bank.The couple live in San Diego.

Spiritual Life Briefs

KARA, a Palo Alto agency that provides grief support for children and adults, will hold its seventh annual candlelight service at 7 p.m., Thursday, at Unity Palo Alto Community Church, 3391 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.

Members will be lighting candles representing the themes of love, hope, memory and courage. The service is open to the community and everyone attending will have the opportunity to light a candle in memory of their loved ones.

CHUMS reaches across religions with holiday cards to work for peace

Town Crier Correspondent

Donna Peterson’s family was sitting around the dinner table about a year ago discussing the Bible story of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael. Abraham’s dying wish was that his two feuding sons could come together to bury him in peace.

St. Paul Lutheran pastor stresses reaching out to neighbors

Town Crier Correspondent

The Rev. Donald Schneider, 47, has taken a circuitous route to the ordained ministry. He studied music at California State University at San Jose, then he owned and operated a San Jose landscaping business for 10 years. Finally, he attended Concordia Seminary where he earned a master’s of divinity in 1994. After serving as vicar and pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lodi, he came to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mountain View as senior pastor last year.

Pianist Khostavan to perform with his friends Saturday evening at Foothill College

Pianist Amir Khostavan performs with an orchestra of his friends and colleagues at 8 p.m., Saturday, in Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills.

Khostavan was born Nov. 17, 1981. From that day, his music-based family of Iranian descent surrounded him with the sound of guitars and singing, enriching him with Iranian based melodies and their culture. He started playing the piano at age 2.

‘Harry Potter’ is for fans only

Film Vitals: Movie Review

I confess: I haven’t read any of J.K. Rowlings’ works. So imagine my handicap watching “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

This survival story compelling a century later

It was in early October 1900 that James A. Hall was found in the harsh wilds of Alaska after having survived 67 days with little more than a bundle of matches, a blanket and a knife.

One hundred years later, his grandson, Los Altos businessman Stephen Hall Slusser, wants to illuminate his legend by reprinting his journal, “Starving on a Bed of Gold or the World’s Longest Fast,” first published in 1909.