Wedding

Kathryn Ness and Daven Phelan were married June 16 at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa.

The bride is the daughter of Bill and Cookie Ness of Sacramento.

Obituaries

Dominic Frank LoBianco died Dec. 14. A native of New York City, he was 83.

Mr. LeBianco was a factory worker for Mack Trucks.

Homeowners: Collect that never-used debris for your spring garage sale

A Side of Clyde

You dread the thought of spring cleaning? A garage sale might be the alternative because “stuff” collects during winter months.

Wood fires pose a health risk, air board warns

The cold and rainy weather we have been experiencing of late makes most of us want to settle in our easy chairs and light a fire in the fireplace. For most areas - except Los Altos, which adopted a wood smoke ordinance in 1992 - the Bay Area Air Quality Board points out that traditional wood fires are a health risk, with one fire emitting almost a half-pound of particulate pollution into a neighborhood in an evening. The very smallest particles can penetrate the air sacs of the lungs, contributing to lung disease, shortness of breath, asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.

Fireplaces are not an efficient source of heat, and wood is expensive. If you must light a fire in the fireplace, use only dry seasoned wood, and never use wrapping paper as a starter. For a free wood-burning handbook call the Bay Area Air Quality Management District at (800) HELP-AIR.

Home decorating trend looks to old for new

This year, home decorating is inspired by the Gilded Age with a return to intricate detail, lush ornamentation and gold leaf design.

This contemporary approach to a bygone era is the newest trend making its way onto the store shelves, and by shopping smart, savvy customers will discover these rich-looking and lavish home accents without the exorbitant price tag.

Consumer electronics industry undergoing ‘take control’ revolution

Most homes have many independent electronic systemswith numerous individual controls. More and more homes in 2002 will feature systems that will allow homeowners to operate all low-level systems including lights, air conditioning and stereo to be turned on and off from central control panels.

The custom area of the con-sumer electronics industry is one of the fastest-growing in this country. “Once reserved for the wealthy, custom home automation systems have become more affordable in recent years, allowing more and more people to ‘take control’ of their homes,” said Billilynne D.Keller, Executive Director of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association.

Making life easier in the home

Town Crier Correspondent

I’m always looking for a better way to be lazy and hoping to find the latest gizmo on the market to make life easier. Some of these ideas I remember from the South Bay Garden and Home Show in Santa Clara last August, and I have installed several in the house.

Home Briefs

Common Ground Organic Garden Supply and Education Center is featuring an “Early Spring Harvest” event featuring author Pam Pierce. The event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to noon, Jan. 26, at Common Garden, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto.

You can enjoy delicious wild and garden-grown foods long before the usual spring planting season begins. Learn how to grow and use the especially easy, tender and delicious crops that you can be harvesting at this time of the year. Taste samples will be included. Pierce is the author of “Golden Gate Gardening.”

Major cost returns to be had on minor remodeling, building experts claim

Town Crier Correspondent

Business Profile

Museum features quilts and quilting

The Los Altos History Museum has an exhibit of antique and contemporary quilts, owned or made by Los Altos and Los Altos Hills residents, through Feb. 3.

Traditional and contemporary quilts on display will include an antique Texas Star, a hand-quilted Double Wedding Ring and millennium quilts, one with a minimum of 2000 pieces of fabric.

The upside of downsizing

Town Crier Correspondent

For one Los Altos couple, move to smaller home means more freedom, security, less work

Transactions

Cupertino

10661 Carver Drive - Dill Trust to B. Samsami for $380,000.00

Wireless DSL beamed from atop a mountain

Gatespeed provides home and businesses support and e-business consulting solutions

It can be frustrating to live and work in Silicon Valley, yet still be waiting to have a DSL line installed in a residential or business location. Gatespeed Broadband Inc. offers an alternative - wireless broadband Internet service provided by signals from a small, roof-mounted antenna.

Mix white hydrangeas with red poinsettias for wonderful holiday color

Town Crier correspondent

Your grandmother and great-grandmother loved hydrangeas in the summer and now you can go to Draeger’s and Safeway supermarkets and find them for sale at Christmas time along with poinsettias.

Gentry Community Stars Awards program selected the Peninsula Symphony for one of its coveted awards

On Dec. 4 The 2001 Gentry Community Stars Awards program selected the Peninsula Symphony for one of its coveted awards. The orchestra will be featured in the April issue of Gentry Magazine.

The awards program was instituted to give recognition to the unsung heroes of the community and to attempt to change, for the better, the course of human life.

Fund helping those who open doors to needy

Town Crier Editorial Intern

When thinking of Silicon Valley, most Americans think of microchips and software - not necessarily poverty and homelessness. However, two local groups have been opening their doors to those in need, and thanks to the Town Crier Holiday Fund, will be continuing their work to help others.

Community Briefs

Out to Lunch, started by Partners for New Generations, connects caring adults with high school students who need support. The program is currently looking for mentors.

The program has received funding from the Los Altos Community Foundation to hire a part-time psychologist. The psychologist will select students for the program, match students with mentors based on common interests, monitor the students’ progress and train mentors.

Local residents invited to Nobel Prize ceremony

Three local residents attended the Nobel Prize Centennial Dec. 4-13. Bill and Kathy Sharpe of Los Altos and Gene van Tamelen of Los Altos Hills attended the ceremony for this year’s laureates, as well as other events during the 10-day celebration.

Bill Sharpe and van Tamelen are both professors emeritus at Stanford University. The Sharpes and van Tamelen were three of the very limited number of people invited to attend the Stockholm celebration.

Schools Noteworthies

Lora Ohlberg, of Los Altos, has been accepted into Stanford University. She will be starting as a Freshman in the fall of 2002. Ohlberg will graduate from Los Altos High School this June.

The Service Club at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View collected over $3,000 and food for over 328 families in need.

Schools Briefs

The local Special Education Advisory Committee (SELPA 1CAC) is looking for new members who are interested in making a difference in the special education community in local public schools. The group of parents to special needs students and administrators who work on a wide range of issues related to special education. Meetings are scheduled 9 -11 a.m., the first Monday of each month. For more information, call Patty Hurley at 949-1926.

‘Making children mind, without losing yours!’

Santa Claus comes to town for ‘Tiny Tots’

Santa Claus took time out of his busy schedule to make a stop in Mountain View Dec. 19.

Students in Alta Vista Continuation High School’s Leadership Class, which is like student council, hosted kindergartners from Castro School at the Fourth Annual Tiny Tots Christmas Party.

Educator urges parents to make shift in power struggle with kids

“How many times have I told you?” “Clean up this mess now!” “I’m talking to you, young man!” “Do it now or no TV for a week!”

Parents the world over are familiar with such exclamations that exhibit the frustration and anger too often a part of parenting.

No, Virginia, there was no Santa Claus rally

Stock Report

Believing in a Santa Claus rally at this time of year, requires as much imagination as believing in St. Nicholas. His rally didn’t arrive before Christmas, but we hope he arrives during the last five trading days of the year.

Letters to the Editor

CHUMS (Children United Morally and Spiritually) would like to thank the people of Los Altos and the surrounding communities for supporting our cause and helping us reach our goal. We sold 5,000 cards and raised $3,000 with your help.

The money will be donated to the 9/11 Fund and Americaís Fund for Afghan Children. We are very proud to show what kids of different faiths can do when they work together.

The fallow season at the end of the year

Blue Jeans & Jelly Beans

It makes me sad when I see people taking down their Christmas trees on December 26. The forlorn tree, with stray tinsel blowing in the wind, stands at the curb, just as abandoned as the sacks of crumpled wrapping paper next to it.

Dog ananda

Other Voices

Ananda: Sanskrit word meaning joy

Los Altos resurrects New Year’s ‘Fun Run’ for city’s 50th anniversary

Sending 2002 off to a running start, Los Altos begins the celebration of its 50th anniversary with the revival of the New Year’s Day run.

The city has scheduled a 5K (3.1-mile) “Fun Run” to begin 9 a.m., Jan. 1, at State and Main streets in downtown Los Altos.

Warm holiday wishes from the Town Crier staff

The year in review, 2001: A Los Altos odyssey

Town Crier Staff Report

The year 2001 was memorable for all the wrong reasons, except that perhaps we have emerged from this horrific year a little wiser and more humble. The overwhelming news events of the year, the state power shortage, followed by Sept. 11, the anthrax scare, the dot-com bust and economic recession, rippled through our community, affecting virtually all of us. We started the year complaining of skyrocketing utility bills and rolling blackouts. We ended it in a surge of generosity, organizing fund-raisers for Sept. 11 victims and giving to our own struggling non-profits. The fact that the Town Crier’s Holiday Fund is up over last year’s totals is a testament to people’s increased empathy, despite a time of economic strain.

Gunman wearing ski mask flees out back door of downtown bank

Agunman wearing a ski mask allegedly escaped out the back door of a downtown Los Altos bank last week with an undisclosed amount of cash, Los Altos police said.

United California Bank, located at the former Sanwa Bank building at 176 Main St., was empty except for bank employees when the gunman walked in at 12:48 p.m., Thursday.

News Briefs

Mountain View’s annual water main-flushing program is scheduled to begin Jan. 7 and continue through April 5. Water main-flushing is a process to clear water lines of sand and sediment that may have accumulated during the year.

Signs and barricades will be posted in neighborhoods the day before flushing is to take place to alert residents.

Police report

Dec. 20, 10:35 p.m., San Antonio and Whitney roads: Police arrested a motorist for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Auto theft

Brushing up on crime

Los Altos SWAT and Hostage Negotiation teams practice rescue techniques

The Los Altos Police Department’s SWAT and hostage negotiation teams successfully talked a man into releasing a woman held captive last week in a Los Altos home during a rare hands-on training session.

LA Council OKs another 3-month extension to retain cable service

The Los Altos City Council extended the city’s cable franchise agreement with AT&T another three months, until March 31. This is the fourth extension that the council has approved since beginning negotiations with AT&T in December 1999, when AT&T acquired the city’s cable service, TeleCommunications Inc.

The city has been working on a deal with AT&T over the past three years to bring high-speed Internet lines and sleeker cable connections to Los Altos.

Our 10 most positive stories of 2001

We’ve talked often about what went wrong in 2001, from power shortages to state budget deficits to Sept. 11, the recession and on and on.

But good stories were still plentiful this year if one bothered to look. So, focusing on our local area, here are our favorite good news stories to start the new millennium (not necessarily in order of importance):