Educating a home guard

As the human cost of Hurricane Katrina plays out, communities are asking how they might fare in a similar emergency and what they should do to prepare themselves. The Bay Area is likely to have a major earthquake within the next 30 years, and like fire or man-made disasters, additional regional risks, it could come without warning.

Local civic and volunteer organizations have plans and supplies in place to respond to disasters, but the community’s most powerful resource is individual preparedness and self-sufficiency, experts said.

Family emergency preparation

• Create a family emergency plan to minimize the impact of a disaster.

• Teach your child how and when to call for help. Post local emergency phone numbers by all telephones.

Emergency preparedness kit

Every home should prepare and maintain a disaster supplies kit with the basic items each member of the household would likely need in the event of a disaster. Below are some items every kit should stock. For more detailed suggestions, visit the preparedness section of www.redcross.org.

1. Portable, battery-powered radio or television and extra, fresh batteries

Attempted murder charges in machete attack

The machete-wielding man, shot and injured by an officer in unincorporated Los Altos Sept. 14, has been charged with attempted murder.

Deputies chased down Gerardo Rodrigues, 23, after he allegedly attacked an elderly woman, who sustained head wounds, and two other people, police said. The assaults occurred in the vicinity of Terrace Drive.

Third alleged victim emerges in Wagner molestation case

A third male victim has been named in the case against Los Altos resident Gregory Wagner, a Boy Scout Troop 31 leader charged with child molestation.

Judge Diane Northway raised Wagner’s bail from $200,000 to $300,000 at a hearing last Friday. Wagner, 42, was arrested Aug. 25 at his home. He was a Boy Scout leader in the community for more than 20 years until the day of his arrest when he was dismissed from the Boy Scouts.

New construction fees launched to curb future LA traffic

New construction in Los Altos will come with a higher price tag in upcoming weeks when a new program intended to curb the impact of future traffic goes into effect.

The Los Altos City Council last week approved the city’s first Traffic Impact Fee program to provide funding for traffic-calming projects citywide.

Delay of Moffett’s Hanger One final draft draws different reactions

The Navy has delayed the release of the Site 29 Hanger One Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis final draft expected this month, according to Rick Weissenborn, Base Realignment and Closure Environmental Coordinator and Lead Remedial Project Manager. Weissenborn told members of the Former NAS Moffett Field Restoration Advisory Board at their meeting Thursday that NASA and the Navy are discussing additional data which will be included in the report, now scheduled for January.

The slippage met with mixed reactions from board members.

LA council votes down permit parking plan

Los Altos will remain free of permit parking in residential neighborhoods - at least for now. The Los Altos City Council last week rejected a residential parking permit program that would have restricted students from parking on streets within a two-block radius of Los Altos High School.

The council instead agreed to survey residents block by block to determine which stretches of street, if any, will become restricted during school hours. Only those areas with a majority of votes will be considered.

Letters to the Editor

At least downsize project to two stories
Jeane Kluga

The 5100 El Camino planned three-story condominium on three-quarters of an acre fronting on Distel Drive is unsightly, not in keeping with the quarter-acre single-story homes surrounding it, and is a serious traffic hazard to the already dangerous intersection at Distel and El Camino.
The […]

Editorials

Charter lawsuit: Stop the bleeding
The Los Altos School District won a battle last week in its legal fight with the Bullis Charter School for control of the Bullis-Purissima School site. But it is losing the war.
A Superior Court judge ruled Sept. 9 the district provided the charter school facilities equal to […]

The awful flood

One tired reporter in New Orleans sighs, “There are no words to tell you…” Oh, yes, there are. Thousands of words pounding against your mind, your heart and your gut. Among them are: New Orleans; disaster; Holocaust; refugee; body count; broken levees; polluted water; starving people; help me … and on and on and on! I hang in there like everyone else, drenched in sorrow, unable to sleep well, fascinated by the outpouring of words and images from the bowels of hell.

News comes from New Orleans describing it as a ghost city, and the oracles of doom start predicting the number of dead. What is there in us that compels us to view drastic events with almost devilish fascination? We sat through the O.J. trial with the ability to recount each day’s details to our near and dear, as well as to the stranger in line at the supermarket. The recent media floods the airwaves or the paper world with news of the comatose woman, the Laci Peterson case, and finally the messy embarrassment of the Michael Jackson case. Deep down in our own watery essence is the guilty thought, “Thank God it’s not us.”

Noteworthies

De Anza College President Brian Murphy will appear on “A Better Part,” a video show produced by and for senior citizens, to show a sneak peak of De Anza’s new energy efficient “green buildings” opening this fall at the Cupertino college.

The show will run 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3 on cablecast by KMVT Mountain View (Channel 15), and Oct. 4, and 7 p.m. Oct. 7 on Los Altos Comcast 26 and Cupertino Comcast 15.

Weddings & Engagements

Vitina Mandella and Mark Grimsrod
Vitina Mandella and Mark Grimsrod were married Aug. 6 at Black Rock, Kaanapali Beach in Maui. Their reception was held at the Hula Grill.
The bride is the daughter of Victor and Loyce Mandella of Los Altos Hills. She graduated from Gunn High School and received a bachelor’s degree […]

Seniors News

Here are some services offered at the Los Altos Senior Center, 97 Hillview Ave., 947-2797:

• Council on Aging, HICAP: Insurance counseling the third Tuesday of every month with Roy Ito. Call senior center for appointments.

Births

Born at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford:

May 21: Daughter, to Jessica and Paul Dunlap, Mountain View.

TC welcomes wedding, engagement, anniversary announcements

Send your wedding and engagement announcements to Leverne Cornelius at the Los Altos Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022.

Announcement forms are available by calling Leverne at 948-9000, ext. 300. She can either fax them or e-mail them to you. Photos are welcome. If you want your photo returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Information also can be sent to Leverne at her e-mail address, levernec@latc.com. For more information, call her at 948-9000, ext. 300.

Mixed media artist comes to Gallery 9

Town Crier Report

Gallery 9 will feature an exhibit of recent works by artist Naomi Mindelzun Tuesday through Oct. 22 at 143 Main St., Los Altos.

Jane Goodall the keynote speaker for wildlife expo at Foothill College

Renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall is the keynote speaker at the 4th annual Wildlife Conservation Expo Oct. 8 and 9 at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.

The Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), a nonprofit organization that funds community-based wildlife conservationists, is sponsoring a lineup of 12 of the world’s leading animal conservationists, who will give presentations about their efforts in Africa, Asia and South America.

Another honor for activist Little: Prize-winning photographer

Los Altos resident Deane Little is probably best known locally for his work as a political activist and environmental steward. What most people don’t know about Little is that he is a rising amateur photographer.

Little has served on the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s board since 1998 and is well-regarded for his work leading non-profit organizations. On Oct. 2, the Committee for Green Foothills will honor Little for his nature photography with the 2005 Jane Gallagher Award. Although the award includes a small cash prize, it is most important for the recognition it brings to Bay Area artists. Little is among seven other regional artists to be honored.

Loyola Corners drawing up first chalk art festival for this weekend

Chalk it up to Loyola Corners’ new business owner Robin Blinde to organize a whole new kind of festival for Los Altos.

Blinde, the owner of KidsArt at 945 Fremont Ave., has partnered with neighboring FasTracKids business owner Laura Boderick to put on “Bella Strada” (”Beautiful Street”), the first street chalk festival in Los Altos. The event is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Loyola Corners shopping district, corner of Fremont and Miramonte avenues.

Pet of the Week

Fatty is a 4-year-old neutered male cat whom the crew at Palo Alto Animal Services describes as “a bundle of fun, loving kitty-wiggle.” Residents looking to adopt a cat could do worse than “this big lovable guy,” according to the agency. To adopt Fatty, contact Palo Alto Animal Services, 3281 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, at 496-5971.

Town Crier soliciting traffic questions

What are your chief concerns about Los Altos traffic? What questions would you like answered? We’d like to hear your questions as we prepare to engage local traffic officials in a roundtable discussion about traffic issues in Los Altos. We will forward as many of your questions/concerns as possible.

Send submissions to editor Bruce Barton at the Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022, or send e-mail to bruceb@latc.com.

Calendar

Ongoing
Los Altos Senior Center, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, 97 Hillview Ave.
Today
Community Health Awareness Council, 3:30 p.m., 711 Church St., Mountain View.
Los Altos Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., community chambers, city hall, 1 N. San Antonio Road.
Mountain View Planning Commission, 7:30 p.m., […]

Outpouring of support continues for victims of Hurricane Katrina

Los Altos-area businesses, community organizations and residents continued their efforts last week to aid communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama following the Aug. 29 devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina. Donating money is one of the best ways to assist the relief effort, but there are additional opportunities to lend your support. Here’s what you can do at the local level:

Los Altos Community Foundation

Forums for schools, LA city council candidates

The Los Altos-Mountain View League of Women Voters will host an election forum 7 p.m., Oct. 17, in the Los Altos City Council chambers, 1 N. San Antonio Road, for Los Altos City Council and Los Altos School District candidates.

The local league will also sponsor an election forum 7 p.m., Oct. 20, in the Mountain View City Council chambers, 500 Castro St., for the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board candidates. Pros and cons of the state ballot measures will also be presented that night.

LAH Council designates $10,000 for hurricane relief

The Los Altos Hills City Council is lending its support to those in the Gulf Coast region affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The council voted last Thursday to give $5,000 to the Palo Alto Area Red Cross, the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

Conversation with computer titans at MV museum

Mountain View’s Computer History Museum, the world’s largest museum dedicated to preserving and presenting the artifacts and stories of the information age, hosts a conversation between two Silicon Valley titans, Gordon Moore and Carver Mead, at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at the museum.

The program, “Computer History Museum Presents: The 40th Anniversary of Moore’s Law,” is co-hosted by SEMI and features Moore, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Intel, and Mead, chairman and founder of Foveon, informally discussing the impact of “Moore’s Law” - which states that transistor density on integrated circuits will double about every two years - on technology, business and society. Moore and Mead will include personal stories surrounding the theory’s invention, evolution and future directions.

Hospital to move radiology information into digital era

The exchange of radiology information at El Camino Hospital will become more efficient, and associated images more accessible, when installation of a digital radiology information system and image archive is completed next September.

The Siemens Radiology Information System and Picture Archive Computer System will allow physicians to view and discuss patients’ medical images simultaneously from different sites in the hospital.

Paintings of historic Los Altos featured in 2006 calendar

Last April, more than 25 artists gathered in downtown Los Altos to “Paint the Town History” with renderings of landmark buildings in the Los Altos area.

Fifteen of these works are appearing in the just-released “Historic Los Altos Community Calendar” for 2006.

Community Briefs

CSA honoring ‘Hometown heroes’
The Community Services Agency (CSA) will honor two local “Hometown Heroes,” Jim Cochran and Debbie Wu, both of whom have served the community in a variety of ways, 7:30 a.m. Oct. 21 at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña in Palo Alto.
Since 1999, “Hometown Heroes” has been an annual honor […]

American Legion recognizes students

American Legion Post 558 recently held a recognition dinner for this year’s local participants in Boys’ and Girls’ State, a summertime educational program that emphasizes participation in a model state. Students take on roles as legislators and newspaper editors, mirroring the operations of state government. “By teaching youth to understand and appreciate the basic principles involved in the successful management of a democratic society, America can remain strong and ensure our freedom for future generations,” said American Legion member Lew Miller. Pictured from left are: Miller; David Girdley of Mountain View High School; March Ruth Nichols, Girls’ State interviewer; Robin Bailey, Mountain View High; Colby Daines, St. Francis High; Matthew Chin, Mountain View High; Maxwell Lanman, Los Altos High; and Stephen Hess, Mountain View High.

Second Rick Bell Memorial Golf Tournament set for Oct. 10

The second annual Rick Bell Memorial Golf Tournament is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 10 at Los Altos Golf and Country Club.

Up to 144 golfers will compete for prizes for chipping and putting and for a trophy donated by Tom and Sue Harrington. Proceeds go to the Richard G. Bell Memorial Scholarship Fund, a donor advised exempt fund within the Los Altos Community Foundation (LACF). Last year $25,000 was raised for the fund and the goal for this year is $40,000. Six college scholarships were given to deserving students from families of modest means attending Los Altos, Mountain View and Alta Vista high schools.

Los Altos Hills may hold public hearing on partnership with Bullis Charter School

The Los Altos Hills public education committee last Thursday won the city council’s unanimous promise of $4,000 for a mailer about a public hearing on a possible legal partnership between the town and Bullis Charter School. The hearing most likely will be held after Oct. 20.

Asked by Councilman Jean Mordo what the subject of the mailer would be, committee chairman Duncan MacMillan replied, “We don’t have specifics. We’re just getting ready for it.”

College Briefs

Last day to register for fall at Foothill
Today is the final day to register for the fall quarter at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. Classes begin Monday and run through Dec. 16, unless otherwise noted in the Schedule of Classes. Students can register online, by phone or in person from […]

Pancake breakfast fights water with fire

Egan Junior High School eighth-graders Kelly McMeekin and Annie Valles decided to hold a pancake breakfast to raise money for the Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. They were joined by volunteers from several local schools and the Palo Alto Fire Department Sept. 11 at the Elks Lodge in Palo Alto.

The event raised $1,988 to aid those affected by the disaster on the Gulf Coast.

Where the bluebird sings to the lemonade springs

When 9-year-old Miranda Scott heard that family friends in Pass Christian, Miss., lost their home, their possessions, their livelihood and their schools to Hurricane Katrina, she felt she had to do something about it.

Talking her ideas over with her family, the Oak Avenue School fourth-grader decided that money was the best kind of help she could send anyone fleeing Katrina.

Drinking isn’t a game anymore

Q: How important is it to educate my teens about drinking?

A: Your question has new significance in today’s world of college drinking.

Local students survey Fijian coral reef

In June, 16 students from Mountain View and St. Francis high schools and nine adults embarked for Fiji, a nation of more than 300 secluded islands in the South Pacific. There, in the sparkling ocean, on the white sands and in the emerald rainforests, the group set up Fiji BioCamp 2005 and surveyed the surrounding reef systems for the better part of two weeks.

Living in tents on a beach on Vanua Levu, near the island of Taveuni, the students roughed it, learning to weave palm-frond screens for their outdoor shower. Biology teachers Roberta Chisam of St. Francis and Teri Faught of Mountain View High and Dr. Kent Smith, a physician and avid astronomer whose sons attend Mountain View High, helped to provide the campers a hands-on educational experience.

Noteworthies

Zoe L. Fenson, daughter of Eitan Fenson and Barbara Weinstein of Los Altos, is a freshman at Amherst College this fall. She is a graduate of Mountain View High School.

Leaning on Lam

Make no mistake about it: The success of this year’s Los Altos High girls tennis team rides on the return of top singles player Samantha Lam.

“Without her,” coach Cuong Duong said, “we can’t compete in our league.”

State’s bonds firming up under solid growth; Prop. 76 to help further

The major indexes finished strong on Friday but down slightly for the week. The Dow Jones industrial average as well as the other measures of the market closed down less than 1 percent. Oil retreated to $63 a barrel and strength was noted in metals, machinery and building stocks.

Many bond investors remain confounded as the longer-term bonds have refused to post higher yields in the face of continued short-term rate increases by the Federal Reserve. At this writing, the Fed is expected to raise the short rate a quarter point this week.

Town Crier Staff Writer

The first day is like dance class. First you learn coordination, using your feet and hands together. Then you learn the movements.

That is how Tom Espinosa begins teaching boxing to neophytes at his Contenders Gym at 813 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View. If it sounds fairly stress free that is because Espinosa designs his training regimens according to each client’s abilities and works one-on-one at the pace appropriate to each student.

Jean Grove celebrates 105th birthday

Longtime Peninsula resident Jean Watson Grove celebrated her 105th birthday at the Health Care Center at The Forum at Rancho San Antonio with a barbecue lunch in her honor and family, friends and fellow residents in attendance.

Born Aug. 29, 1900, in Ontario, Canada, Grove came to California in the early 1920s and worked as a private-duty nurse in San Diego before moving to the Peninsula, where she worked as a doctor’s office nurse until she retired in 1970.

Family can help elderly get better nutrition

Many older adults fail to get enough nutrients in their daily diets. Seniors may experience problems chewing food, a diminished appetite and ability to enjoy flavors due to medication, problems with transportation to the grocery store and/or a lack of desire or ability to cook.

We all need proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water to stay healthy. As people grow older, they don’t need to eat as much, but they do need to make sure that what they eat is packed with as many nutrients as possible.

Exercise should refresh both body and soul

Q: Self-help books say to avoid getting in a rut and make sure you have fun in your life. What do you recommend for fun with mates, other couples, family and adult children besides having meals together? - Carol Commons, Los Altos Hills

A: For mind-body-spirit fitness, it’s good to find energetic outdoor activities that renew your soul as well as get your blood circulating. Picnic hikes are good, because you can combine exercise with the joy of eating. We have many good hiking-picnic opportunities around here. Hiking to the Stanford Dish is very popular; the hike starts where Stanford Avenue meets Junipero Serra Blvd.

Symptoms of asthma vary with type, severity of condition

Approximately 20 million Americans suffer from asthma. Asthma is a disease of all ages - 9 million children under age 18 have it - and it causes 5 million deaths a year, resulting in a total annual cost in health care and lost productivity of $16.1 billion.

Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the airways. Asthmatic lungs respond to various stimuli such as allergens, smoke, cold weather, pollution, exercise and aspirin. If untreated, asthma can change the structure of the airways and cause them to lose normal anatomy and function.

Immunizations for pertussis, meningitis increasingly important for adolescents

Many parents think of infants and young children when they hear the word “immunization.” However, there are two immunizations that are important for adolescents as well: pertussis (whooping cough) and meningitis.

Pertussis is an increasing health problem among adolescents and young adults.

Anxiety can be serious illness that requires treatment

Q: My doctor just mentioned that I may have an anxiety disorder and suggested medication. What do you think?

A: Everyone experiences some form of anxiety once in a while. But for most of us the anxious feeling is brief and temporary. Yet, for almost 20 million American adults living with anxiety disorders, the fear and anxiety never go away. Anxiety can be a serious medical illness that dramatically interferes with daily life. Unfortunately, fewer than half who suffer from anxiety disorders seek treatment for them. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from them.

Your Health

Healing by touch is as old as mankind. The desire to “rub out” the pain seems instinctive.

Both research and clinical practice have shown that therapeutic massage has real benefits: It can increase circulation, stimulate the immune system, reduce tension, release emotion, facilitate relaxation and speed healing time.

Detailed account of 1906 quake draws on previously unpublished material

Imagine a natural disaster rendering hundreds of thousands of citizens homeless and communications systems silent. Visualize food and potable water unavailable and widespread looting of homes and businesses. Picture fires breaking out, massive numbers of evacuees ordered to flee the destruction, governmental agencies apparently unable to deal effectively with the crisis, a military presence needed to restore order and sanitation systems failing. Think of erroneous statements and unsubstantiated rumors in the national and international press, aid to the stricken communities pouring in from around the world and countless private citizens performing acts of astounding heroism to save the sick and the injured. Sound familiar?

The many parallels between two of the greatest natural disasters in U.S. history will immediately strike readers of this volume. In both the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the recent devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the initial act of nature was only the first in a series of events that led to the destruction of a major coastal city and its environs.

Books Briefs

Actor Alan Alda to give reading at Books Inc.
Alan Alda, the Emmy Award-winning actor, will read from and sign copies of his memoir, “Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, and Other Things I’ve Learned,” 5 p.m. Sunday at Books Inc., 301 Castro St., Mountain View.
MacArthur Fellow to speak at LA […]

Los Altos resident concludes 2,650-mile hike

May 16

Datebook

Datebook items are run on a space-available basis for entertainment, non-profit events, low-cost classes and groups of wide interest in our circulation area. The deadline is noon Tuesday for the next week’s paper. Notices must be typed and include a contact name and phone number. Items may be submitted via e-mail (peteb@latc.com); fax (948-6647) or post (138 Main St., Los Altos, CA 94022).

THEATER