For Olsons, LA families grief for loved ones won’t go away

The aftermath of 9/11 has been particularly hard on families of the victims and the inevitable one-year anniversary brings up the questions some wish would not be asked: What are you doing for 9/11? Are the memories still vivid?

“It’s been on my mind ever since it happened,” said longtime Los Altos resident Yvonne Olson whose son, Ted, is U.S. solicitor general.

Local tourist offers impressions of New York City and Ground Zero

Perspective

Town Crier Associate Publisher

Local residents still wary, suspicious after 9/11, local counselors say

Last year’s terrorist attacks continue to have significant effects on the mental and emotional state of residents in Los Altos, ranging from feelings of anxiety to displays of patriotism, according to local psychologists.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Maidena McLerran said the most palpable lingering effect on the psyche of locals is a feeling of fear and anxiety, resulting in a semi-constant state of wariness and suspicion.

United We Stand

9/11 spurred Los Altos to revive emergency preparedness programs

If you asked Los Altos Police Chief Don Johnson how prepared neighborhoods were for a disaster last year, he would have been the first to admit “not very.”

Until a year ago, local interest in emergency preparedness had dwindled considerably in Los Altos. The city’s Emergency Preparedness Committee struggled to fill an unprecedented number of vacancies, and the volunteer Community Emergency Response Training program (CERT) was virtually nonexistent.

Los Altos area churches and synagogues commemorate 9/11 with religious services

Today sirens will wail, and bells will toll, amid periods of silence, patriotic songs and people praying. The tragic events of last Sept. 11, focused the nation’s attention more than ever on the role of religion. Today the anniversary of our losses is marked with different ceremonies in local churches.

“We come together as the human family, praying for peace and healing and the end of terrorism,” said Sister Rosheen Glennon C.S.J., pastoral associate at St. Nicholas Parish.

9/11 Briefs

Los Altos Hills resident Charlene Archibeque is leading the San Jose State Choraliers, The Choral Project, the San Jose Chamber Orchestra and the American Beethoven Society in a concert, “Remembering Voices,” honoring Sept. 11 victims on the one-year anniversary of the infamous terrorist attacks.

The concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Mission Santa Clara, on the campus of Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real.

Local 9/11 ceremonies issue call for reflection

Several Los Altos area ceremonies are planned for today paying tribute to the victims of 9/11 while taking stock in the nation and its law enforcement that ensures safety.

The city of Los Altos has scheduled a dedication ceremony at 12:30 p.m. for Patriot Corner, a Shoup Park picnic area the city has renamed to honor the heroes and victims of 9/11.

Memories of WTC disaster still strong for local Red Cross workers

The terrorist attacks on the nation may have occurred a year ago, but for Red Cross relief worker and Los Altos resident Judy Boore, thinking about her experiences in New York City brings tears and emotions as though the events occurred yesterday.

“Most disturbing was at night, when the whole city was dark except for the area around ground zero where they had huge spotlights up to eliminate the shadows,” she said. “That whole area glowed in a surreal, dreamlike fashion.”

Opposition group presents alternative design for new LAH Town Hall

Members of a resident group opposed to a new town hall building design for Los Altos Hills presented the city council last week with their own proposal, one that they say has the same square footage but at half the cost and height of the current plan.

Mark Brier, who presented the plan before the city council last Thursday, said the wood-based structure his LAH Outrage group proposes is more in keeping with the rural setting of the town than the stucco-covered, mission-style design of the council-approved plan.

News Briefs

Los Altos

The County of Santa Clara Roads and Airports Department is scheduled to hold four community meetings during September and October to discuss the Comprehensive County Expressway Planning Study. The goal of the expressway study is to develop a long-term strategic plan for the eight expressways in Santa Clara County, including Foothill Expressway, which runs through Los Altos.

Police Report

Aug. 31, 10:16 a.m., First Street: Someone vandalized a car.

Forgery

LA Police crack down on Main St. motorists

Los Altos Police reminded downtown motorists to drive more cautiously last week during an aggressive traffic crackdown that resulted in as many as 11 citations in one hour, according to police.

Apparently recent merchant complaints about reckless drivers prompted police to patrol the street on foot looking for illegal left and U-turns and crosswalk violations.

Final draft of LAH ‘Open Space’ initiative scheduled for release this month, activists say

The Los Altos Hills group pushing to give residents the power to preserve local open space plans to release a final ballot initiative by the end of this month for next spring. Los Altos Hills Open Space members have already crafted a 14-page rough draft and raised $20,000 for attorney fees.

The group is hoping that the initiative will lock in approximately 70 acres of prime Los Altos Hills real estate as permanent open space.

Corrections

An Aug. 28 op-ed piece by Jeannie Conner incorrectly stated in the tagline that she was involved in the Mountain View-Los Altos High School Foundation. Although a longtime contributor to the Los Altos Educational Foundation, Conner has not been involved in the high school foundation.

9/11 a reminder to remain united

Why hold any event recalling the one-year anniversary of one of the most horrific of all American events? After all, doesn’t any recognition of Sept. 11, 2001, bring back all the pain and terror of that infamous day? Haven’t the victims’ families suffered enough?

Of course they have. But facetious as it sounds, those indelible images of towers descending into monstrous clouds of dust have also stirred us in ways that may ultimately make our country better off.

A life of blessings despite multiple sclerosis

The Living Experiment

“I am pleased with how everything is. I suppose I could want more. Everything could always be better, but perfection doesn’t exist.” True, but the comment sounded remarkable coming from a man who has a progressive form of multiple sclerosis.

Letters to the Editor

I will freely admit that I feel a theater in downtown Los Altos is a silly idea. If the Bandera parking lot is so under-utilized then why isn’t Bandera allowed to open for lunch? And where exactly are all of the movie goers going to park if the theater is going to replace existing parking?

That being said, I wish to question the constant assertion from theater proponents that a “majority” of Los Altos residents support it. No one has asked me or anyone in my family if we support it.

9/11 Letters

Did you know that this last year, more than 1,200 people from New York’s fire and police departments have been guests of the Hawaiian Islands? All of these people lost loved ones. Not many people know this story.

Gov. Ben Cayetano extended the invitation, Hawaiian Airlines donated the air tickets and over 13 hotels donated the rooms. As New York Fire Chief Joseph Pfeifer said, “For many, Sept. 11 continued on and on, and this is a new beginning.”

Record crowd attends last week’s CSA ‘Hometown Heroes’ benefit

Community Services Agency (CSA) held its annual recognition fund-raising breakfast for “Hometown Heroes” last Friday with a record 260 people attending the affair at the Palo Alto Hyatt.

“We appreciate your attendance. It couldn’t come at a better time,” said Tom Myers, executive director of CSA. “With the economic downturn, our donations are decreasing and our client base increasing.”

Longtime community contributor honored with ‘Billy Russell Day’

Billy Russell, a member of the Rotary Club of Los Altos since its founding, and a longtime community contributor, will be honored Thursday with a “Billy Russell Day” by the Rotary club.

Neilson Buchanan, a former chief administrator at El Camino Hospital who has known Russell since 1967, put Russell’s impact in perspective.

Community Briefs

An ice-cream social followed by a talk by Mountain View City Councilwoman Rosemary Stasek will be held 7-9 p.m., Sept. 16, at Foothills Congregational Church, 461 Orange Ave., Los Altos. Co-sponsors are the church and the Los Altos/Mountain View League of Women Voters.

Stasek will share her insights on the social and political issues facing Afghanistan, based on her visit there in May as a member of a delegation of Afghan-Americans looking at the problems of reconstruction. Her comments will include personal experiences of life in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

‘Humanitarian Awards’ features tribute to organic chef Alice Waters

Town Crier Editorial Intern

For the late Josephine and Frank Duveneck of Los Altos Hills life proceeded on the ideology that respect for human diversity and protection of the natural environment were the foundation for a healthy, peaceful and humane world.

Local schools plan to commemorate one year anniversary of 9/11

Local school are planning to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11 in a variety of ways. Here is what they have scheduled for today.

Almond School

LAH students join emergency preparedness program

Students from Los Altos High School could take the lead in local volunteer emergency response during the next disaster as a result of the new emergency preparedness program that qualifies students to be sworn in as disaster service workers for the city of Los Altos and Santa Clara County.

The Los Altos Police department is developing an emergency preparedness pilot program modeled after the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Emergency Response Team. This is a program developed by the Los Angeles Fire Department and has been taught locally by Bay Area fire departments since the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

Terrorist attacks give generation a sense of purpose and identity

Town Crier Editorial Intern

For a nation of adults growing content with being the last superpower left in the world, 9/11 was a chilling reminder of past international conflict. For the American youth, however, it brought the realization that an entire generation’s future had been transformed.

Net changes

4 local teams have new coaches; 3 switch leagues

Los Altos High

On Deck: the local sports lineup for Sept. 11-17

Football

Thursday

Sports On The Side

Seniors and other friends of Avenidas Senior Day Health Center are holding a short Remembrance Day Walk, 10 a.m., today. It starts at the center, 701 E. Meadow Drive, Palo Alto. A barbecue in honor of the Palo Alto Fire Department will follow. To R.S.V.P., call Audrey Walker, 326-5362, ext. 12.

Volleyball signups

Maintaining a standard

Foothill College Football Preview

Owls go after sixth-straight bowl bid

Local fencer McClain makes his point

Town Crier Editorial Intern

At 6 feet 5 inches, Sean McClain could have been a basketball player. The Stanford graduate in industrial engineering could also have pursued a lucrative corporate career.

City to crack down on businesses with illegal sidewalk signs

Los Altos will soon be cracking down on businesses that put out sidewalk signs or other objects for which they do not have the required permits.

City planner David Kornfield said downtown merchants need encroachment permits to erect the sandwich-type signs that occupy sidewalks outside their places of business. But he estimated that half the signs currently displayed are illegal.

The stock market is not brimming with value

Stock Report

Some investors say the stock market, at the present level, is brimming with values. I don’t agree, and now is not the time to find out. With the possibility of a war with Iraq and more big declines in many stocks, there are better places to stick your idle money.

Another twisting good time at Rancho Shopping Center’s 14th ‘Rock Back The Clock’

Town Choir Staff Writer

The Rancho Shopping Center rocks when the music starts for “Rock Back the Clock.” Last Friday’s 14th annual social event for families provided an evening of fun, food and enjoyment for local residents.

Upswing, not downturn, expected in local real estate market, economist tells realtors

If you’re looking for the real estate bubble to burst in Santa Clara County, you blinked - it already did.

That’s what Leslie Appleton-Young; vice president and chief economist for the California Association of Realtors told a group of real estate professionals last Friday in Menlo Park.

Transactions

19986 Beekman Place - Owyeung Trust to R. Lafrom for $558,000.00

1153 Candlelight Way - Y. Chin to J. Huang for $735,000.00

iMac verses eMac and stop the pop-up ads

Tech Talk

This column offers solutions to personal technology questions from our readers. Neither the author nor this newspaper endorses products or companies mentioned.

Sharing the responsibilites of planning the wedding

So you have the flowers, the cake, the dress, the invitations and the band all picked out.

You can perfectly imagine your walk to the altar to be your longest and happiest walk ever. When you close your eyes, it is as if magic dust has been sprinkled over the whole day.

Children’s diet affects how well they do at school

A home computer is probably one of the first things most parents think will help their children do well in school. But what about how children eat?

The payoff for creating healthy eating habits is likely to be much greater than the sacrifices you may make to buy a computer. A healthy, plant-based diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables may make it easier for children to learn today as well as provide them with better health in the future. Such a diet has been associated with a lower risk of many forms of cancer as well as other chronic health problems.

Food Bites

The founder of Pete’s Wicked Ale plans to unveil premium chocolates this fall produced by his new Campbell-based company, Cocoa Pete’s Chocolate Adventures.

Local resident Pete Slosberg said he was enticed into chocolate-making during frequent visits to Belgium while producing Pete’s Wicked Ale.

Los Altos Italian food market to launch weekly wine tastings to benefit Hidden Villa

Town Crier Editorial Intern

A.G. Ferrari Foods Italian market in downtown Los Altos is scheduled to launch a weekly wine tasting benefit from 5-7 p.m., every Thursday starting this week.

Peninsula’s first pizzeria still No. 1 in Mtn.View

Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too! celebrates 45 years

The D’Ambrosio family

Recipes for healthy pizza

Despite its reputation as a high-calorie fast food, pizza may be just what’s needed in your children’s lunch boxes to send them to school happy. Pizza can be either junk food or healthy, depending upon how you make it.

A crust made from refined and enriched flour provides vitamin B and iron, but a whole-wheat crust adds even more nutrients. You can make your own or look for a pre-made crust.

New fruit-flavored milk drinks are more than a gimmick

Nutrition Wise

Q: Are the new flavored milks for children just a high-sugar gimmick or are they OK?

Obituaries

Bettie worked for the FBI and Joshua Hendy Iron Works in Sunnyvale prior to a loving career running the Belfor home and working in the family business. Bettie loved her community and was very proud of her generation. She was an active volunteer with the El Camino Hospital Auxiliary and other local organizations. She led an active life enjoying tennis, taking long walks and gardening. She loved her travels and especially her visits to Napili Bay, Hawaii. Bettie is survived by her loving husband, Max, of 56 years; two sons and daughter-in-laws, Jan Belfor and Patty Bond; and three grand children, Heather, Lauren and Ryan Belfor.

Bettie’s spirit for life, warm and vibrant personality and love for her family and friends will always be cherished. Donations in Bettie’s memory may be given to Pathways Hospice in Mountain View, California.

An ‘Art’ opening in Palo Alto

Palo Alto Players kick off their 72nd season with Yasmina Reza’s “Art,” opening Saturday and running through Sept. 29 at the Lucie Stern Theater.

A preview performance will be given Friday evening.

Bus Barn set to stage ‘The Laramie Project’

The Bus Barn Stage Company of Los Altos this week launches its eighth season with Moises Kaufmann’s “The Laramie Project.”

The production previews Thursday, opens Friday and runs through Oct. 19 at the Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Ave.

Newly formed Silicon Valley Chorale to emphasize ‘commitment and quality’

Music director and conductor Michael Paul Gibson last week announced the formation of the Silicon Valley Choral, formerly the Menlo Park Community Chorus.

Concert and rehearsal pianist Susan D. Williams will accompany the SVC.

Foothill College hosts songwriting event this weekend

Foothill College hosts this weekend’s Northern California Songwriters Association’s “Creation: Craft: Connection.” More than 400 songwriters, performers and music industry professionals are expected to attend.

Professional songwriters will present classes, screenings and open forums Saturday and Sunday. They will focus on how to write and promote winning songs and break into the industry.

LA fishing party returns from Alaska, with 100 pounds of fish each

Fishing is a waiting game. You watch your rod tip and jump, and when the tip inches toward the water surface, you start reeling in your salmon.

World traveler Dick Henning said Alaska is the only place to fish as he reeled in his limit of 18 coho silver salmon last month. Others in the eight-member Los Altos fishing party caught their limit of coho, halibut and a sprinkling of true cod, plus two 16-pound king salmon.

Do You Know the Way to Sacramento

Los Altos couple bikes from Peninsula to state capital in two-day trek

ike and Marian Balster recently biked to Sacramento from their home in Los Altos for Marian’s 30th high school reunion during 100-plus-degree weather.

Wedding cakes have come a long way

Town Crier Editorial Intern

The history of wedding cakes and the modern cake tradition

Weddings & Engagements

Stacie L. Huebschwerlen and Richard Andrella were married Aug. 10 at the Montecito Covenant Church. A reception was held at the Bacara Resort, Santa Barbara.

The bride is the daughter of Warren and Norma Huebschwerlen of Los Altos Hills. She is a graduate of Mountain View High School and the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Friends, relatives can officiate weddings with application from Santa Clara County

A little-known Santa Clara County service offers wedding couples the option of choosing anyone they desire as an officiant for their ceremony.

A friend or relative of the couple may apply for a one-day deputy commissioner appointment that would be good for the day of the wedding. A $15 fee allows the applicant to officially preside over the wedding anywhere within the state. The officiant need not be a U.S. citizen or a resident of the state.

Thank you for coming

Compiled by Sara Ballenger and Aliza Zaidi

Wedding favors are a globally recognized essential of almost every wedding. They convey a message of thanks from the happy couple to family and friends.

You’re invited …

A look at wedding invitations

Invitations come in all shapes, colors and sizes and can be made to fit any wedding theme or budget.

A groom’s cake wasn’t always meant to be eaten

Town Crier Editorial Intern

In medieval England, the bride and groom each had a wedding cake.

Anniversary Gifts

1st- Paper

2nd- Cotton