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Archives » 2002 » Volume 55 , Issue 51, Published on Wednesday, December 18, 2002NewsCouncil kills plans for downtown megamovie complexThe Los Altos City Council Tuesday night squelched any plans to spend more money soliciting proposals for a multiscreen movie theater downtown - but that doesn’t mean the project is dead. Members said they would consider moving forward on the project should a theater operator approach the city with an economically feasible plan to build a smaller, two- to three-screen movie house on the city-owned parking lot adjacent to Bandera restaurant. Mayor Kris Casto set new project parameters in the 11th hour after the council rejected a plan to spend $8,100 for an expert to prepare a Request For Proposal and voted down a suggestion from Councilman King Lear to proceed with the project should someone step forward with a $100,000 grant to fund more studies. Storm blasts through Los Altos, Los Altos Hills
Los Altos and Los Altos Hills took another beating this week from the second storm to ravage the Bay Area this season. The estimated 50 mph winds and nearly 2-inches of rainfall over the weekend disrupted mail service, caused mudslides, downed trees, shredded awnings, flooded roads and cut power lines to 829,371 area residents. PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith said 111 Los Altos and Los Altos Hills homes were still without power Monday morning. Residents began reporting outages Friday night. City collects applications for Los Altos Hills Town Hall CommitteeApplications for the new Los Altos Hills Town Hall Committee are slowly trickling in and will be accepted until the time council is scheduled to appoint committee members at Thursday night’s meeting, according to City Manager Maureen Cassingham. The council wants to make the application process as easy as possible for residents interested in applying for the 10-member volunteer committee, Cassingham said. LASD decision on campus closure delayedNo decision was made by the Los Altos School District’s Board of Trustees, Dec. 9, as to the configuration of the district’s seven elementary school campuses for the 2003-04 school year. With the district able to afford operating only six campuses, discussion focused on which campus to close and which schools would move to which campuses. The board expects to make a final decision by mid-February. Rhyme of her life Local poet, survivor of Japanese internment camp, turns 100
“Kono ko wa naga iki shinai.” This girl is not going to live long. Her mother’s words are still fresh in her mind, though spoken nearly a century ago. “I had hay fever and allergies,” said Nellie Nakamura, whose mother raised the gummy-eyed girl among the berry farms of Agnew and the orchards of Cupertino, in the heart of Santa Clara Valley. “But in those days doctors never heard of the word allergy, and so I suffered and suffered.” LettersLETTERS TO THE EDITOROn Nov. 27, the Cupertino Union School District voted to open a fifth middle school. Many feel that the immediate areas surrounding the new middle school are the ones affected. It is easy to concentrate only on the immediate surrounding areas but in actuality, the entire district will be affected. Even though the problem at Kennedy will be solved, new problems will now be created. The CUSD Board stated that their decision was based on such factors as quality programs, the whole child and the need to eliminate the overcrowding at Kennedy. They failed to look at the other cities that are also a part of the school district. They failed to look at the effects on the children who reside in the city of Los Altos and all the children of the many other cities that attend the Cupertino Union School District. EditorialTheater of the absurd- Art and Culture Review Last week’s Los Altos City council meeting left a roomful of citizens scratching their heads, looking for even a small resolution of at least two “plots” on stage. ObituariesTOWN CRIER OBITUARIES FOR DEC. 18A memorial was held on December 11 at the Los Altos United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Parkinson’s Institute, Sunnyvale, California or World Team, Warrington, Pennsylvania designated for Mike and Becky Scott. WeddingsWeddingsSend your wedding and engagement announcements to Richard Billings at the Los Altos Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022. Photos are welcome. If you want your photo returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For more information, call 948-9000, ext. 318, or e-mail CommunityTown Crier Holiday Fund still climbing despite the down economy“Four kids who were in my first clubs 15 years ago, today own their own homes in the Bay Area,” said Andy Hartwell. No big deal perhaps, except those kids lived in low income families in East Palo Alto. And Hartwell back then was a full-time student at Stanford who got interesting in helping children in East Palo Alto break out of the pattern of poverty, welfare and youth delinquency. Locals seek help for transporting donated goods to Afghanistan
Rotarians from Hayward to Los Altos are desperately trying to find transportation for some 80 tons of supplies intended to help war-beaten Afghans survive a cruel winter. They have received donated materials ranging from food and clothing to ultrasound machines and an ambulance intended for tens of thousands of suffering Afghans in the Dar-Ul-Aman district. People of Note announces children’s concert schedulePeople of Note, the fund-raising arm of Music for Minors, has announced its concert schedule for the upcoming year. Formed in 1985 as a planning committee for Music for Minors’ 10th anniversary celebration, it evolved into a permanent 13-member volunteer committee to support the music enrichment program. Last spring the committee became a separate entity for bookkeeping purposes, but it retains its purpose. “Our mission statement is to provide concerts and other events to the community,” said President Diane Tokheim. “Profits will support music education for children.” Tokheim serves as liaison between the performing artists and the concert venues. NBC’s Tom Brokaw talks about terrorism to Flint Center audience
At 62, Tom Brokaw retains his boyish good looks, but you see a little more salt than pepper in his hair. Speaking before a sold-out Flint Center for the Foothill College Celebrity Forum on Dec. 6, his voice was surprisingly deep and resonant, much lower than he projects when delivering the NBC nightly news. Ophthalmologist couple try to keep personal and professional lives apart
Dr. Barry Fung and Dr. Lien Nguyen share medical practices in Mountain View and San Jose, but they also share a house and a marriage. In their first year of running a private practice after more than a combined 40 years of medical school and research, said there are naturally ups and downs when your partner at work is your partner in life. SchoolsBasic Aid under scrutinyThe Legislative Analyst’s Office has made a recommendation to the state legislature that is going to be watched closely by the Los Altos and the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School districts — to phase out Basic Aid funding from the state over a three-year period. A Basic Aid District receives a basic amount of general funding from the state, since the local property tax revenue within the district exceeds what could be provided under other state funding formulas. Almond Brownies celebrate the season by giving gothers
Los Altos Brownie Troop 1044 is already in the giving spirit this holiday season. The troop, based at Almond School, donated $300 in food certificates and gifts to two families for the Christmas holiday. Bullis-Purissima School takes to the parking lots
Traffic congestion and school parking lots seem to go together — not at Bullis-Purissima School. The school’s Parent-Teacher Association rallied parents and created a new program, which began in October. It puts parents in the parking lots to ensure smooth traffic flow and safety to students. SportsPinewood eyes the ultimate prize
High school girls basketball has always been one of the strongest sports in the area, annually churning out championship-contending teams and college-quality players. This year should be no different. LA kicks off season with five victories
Vava Marques isn’t all that surprised by the early-season success of his Los Altos High boys soccer team. “It has a lot to do with what happened last year,” said Marques, who guided the Eagles to the Central Coast Section playoffs last winter. “We’re coming from a good season last year and expect to do well.” BusinessSales remain bah-humbug It won’t be a ho-ho season for all Los Altos retailers
With the exception of supermarkets and hairdressers, most retailers in downtown Los Altos can expect a dismal season for holiday sales. Many retailers make 30 percent to 50 percent of their annual sales during December, and several may end up struggling to survive. What’s behind the conspicuous lack of consumption? The floundering economy is the biggest factor, but online sales and high-tech unemployment haven’t helped. Your HealthCaring for the caregivers Stanford program targets those suffering from the stress of helping dementia patientsDr. Dolores Gallagher-Thompson tells the three middle-aged women sitting at the table to list in their heads all the sports teams they know. The room is silent. She allows about 30 seconds then asks, “Now, name all the TV shows you can remember.” Thirty more seconds elapse before she asks, “And finally, name all the animals you can think of.” The mental exercise stops. The group reconvenes. Marijuana as mitzvah Local temple supports drug’s therapeutic useSusan Gaskill had many of the things that her friends had: a husband, a son, activities at her temple. She also had something that they didn’t have: AIDS. She couldn’t eat. Her weight dropped to 85 pounds, and her only nourishment came from a feeding tube inserted into her shoulder. |
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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