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Archives » 2007 » Volume 60 , Issue 25, Published on Wednesday, June 20, 2007NewsMVLA Graduations ‘07
In the end, not only did the peddler have a delicious meal, the rest of the village shared it. “The class of 2007 is a force to reckon with,” Satterwhite said in her speech, referring to the seniors’ talent for “pulling people together to get things done.” LAHS graduate killed in kite-surfing accident fondly rememberedGordon Abraham of Los Altos had just arrived at the gate in the St. Louis airport last Thursday when he got the news. His youngest son, Derek, 18, had been killed that afternoon kite surfing on Panther Beach, north of Santa Cruz. He was just two weeks shy of his 19th birthday. “I had just arrived, just turned on my cell phone at the gate. I had gone to visit with my sister and watch her perform in an opera. I just turned around and took the next flight back,” Gordon said. Plea deal closes case of slain Los Altos girlInvestigators closed the 30-year-old case of Los Altos 16-year-old Laura Anne Beyerly’s murder last week. But when Beyerly’s ex-boyfriend Scott Schultz pled no contest to voluntary manslaughter before Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Hastings on June 13, it left many of the questions surrounding her death unanswered. Schultz made no admission of guilt when he agreed to the plea bargain. Schultz has consistently denied seeing Beyerly on the day she disappeared or being involved in her death, according to Deputy District Attorney Brian Welch, who handled the case. Brides left hanging when local bridal shop closes
Lucille Lai was married June 9 without the wedding dress she selected in January. Lai, 32, ordered her wedding dress from Panache Bridal shop on Main Street, paid $524 for a down payment and was told by the shop personnel that she’d have it in May. Attendance area discussion spurs talks of Bullis Charter SchoolAnother tough decision is on the horizon for the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees. While discussing the proposed attendance area options June 11, Board Vice President Mark Goines brought up the district’s imminent responsibility to find a permanent site for Bullis Charter School (BCS). Settlement ends town’s role in Westwind lawsuitLos Altos Hills agreed to a $75,000 settlement this month to resolve a lawsuit filed against the town and Friends of Westwind by two former employees at Westwind Barn. In the civil complaint, filed last September, former ranch hands Ignacio Carranza and Gregorio Rodriguez sought more than $500,000 in back wages for hours of allegedly unpaid overtime. Carranza and Rodriguez initially included former Friends President Sharon O’Malley, but later dropped her from the suit. City budget due for approval TuesdayLos Altos City Council members are close to approval of a $28.2 million city budget for the 2007-2008 year. Final discussion is scheduled for the Tuesday meeting. Finance Director Starla Jerome-Robinson said that a slight surplus this year means the city will be able to improve basic service levels by hiring several new employees. CommentEditorialIt is time for this community to begin to think big about a new master plan for the Los Altos Civic Center. This 20-acre site bordered by San Antonio Road and Hillview Avenue is a tremendous community asset. Owned by the city - and therefore all of us - it currently includes City Hall, the Los Altos Youth Center, police station, the Los Altos History Museum, Bus Barn Theater, Hillview Community Center, library, playing fields and parking lots. Much of the space seems badly used. We find the civic center as a whole unattractive and sadly out of date. Yet the site is strategically located near downtown, with easy access from San Antonio Road - a powerful resource for the whole community as well as downtown merchants. Letters to the EditorFacilities for seniors sorely lacking The handy-me-down Los Altos Community Center surprises and disappoints. Isn’t it a disgrace in this affluent community? Cast off long ago as schoolrooms, they’ve been mediocre at best in serving many in the community. Let’s stop the dumbing down of AmericaAmerica is a huge, diverse country with values that sprawl all over its vast area. We are a nation of opposites: gun lovers and tree huggers. Yet given a reason to weep, men and women alike sniffle when children or beautiful animals suffer tragic fates. Our major newspapers feed into American curiosity by headlining the sordid tales of people whose lives add nothing of lasting value. A recent example was the continuous brouhaha over Anna Nicole Smith. I remember the huge headlines when Marilyn Monroe died a lonely and mysterious death. There was genuine sympathy for this woman who died amid rumors of dalliances with powerful men. How pathetic to see and hear her sing “Happy Birthday” to President Kennedy. Yet she had a lasting impact on American drama with her marriages to the famous author Arthur Miller and Yankee slugger Joe DiMaggio. ObituariesObituary NoticesPAT THACHER 1949-2007 CommunityLos Altos Relay For Life resumes battle this weekend in the fight against cancer
The fourth annual Los Altos Relay For Life gets under way 10 a.m. Saturday at Los Altos High School, going for a continuous 24 hours of laps around the school track to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. With this year’s event theme, “Cirque du Relay,” highlights will include: a “Music on the Green” 7:45 p.m. Saturday with Margaret Lewis and Janie Lidey; a luminaria ceremony at 8:30 p.m., featuring a “chain of hope” and reading of names of those stricken by cancer; a steel drum band performance 9 a.m. Sunday; and closing cemonies, including the final lap, at 10 a.m. Sunday. Wooden Nickel in Los Altos a potential treasure for coin collectorsWooden Nickel, the little coin shop in downtown Los Altos, is replete with new and vintage coins, secondhand jewelry and military memorabilia. The collector’s paradise has been there since 1975. Owner Bill Miller, an enthusiastic collector of coins and military items since the age of 7, was an eager customer and good friend of the previous owner, Tom Manhard. In 2002, Miller bought the shop, kept the name and aims to uphold its reputation for fairness and its commitment to research on authenticity. Rotary Art Show gains big profit over last yearLos Altos Rotarian’s hard work paid off this year - their profits for the Fine Art in the Park event were up 36 percent. In the past, the average profit growth for the event was 2.5 percent. More profit means more money, approximately $88,000, to benefit local and worldwide charities. Approximately 200 artists exhibited works for sale at the 32nd annual event. SportsPA Oaks sweep Brewers to remain undefeatedTwo more games, two more wins for the Palo Alto Oaks. The semipro baseball team swept Sunday’s doubleheader against the San Jose Brewers, improving to 6-0 for the season. The Oaks opened the day with a 12-2 win, then blanked the Brewers 4-0 at Baylands Park in Palo Alto. Brehaut breaks out at U.S. Open
It seemed appropriate that Jeff Brehaut capped his final round at the U.S. Open Championship by sinking a 30-foot putt. What better way for the long shot - who at 44 was playing in his first major - to finish than with a long putt? His business is winning
When he was younger, Mountain View native Adam Krikorian - coach of the men’s and women’s water polo teams at UCLA - wanted to pursue a career in business. After seven national championships, four national coach of the year awards and two trips to the White House, Krikorian could be considered the best CEO in his sport. Blach’s best
For Blach Intermediate School, the sectional track and field meet was all about girl power. The girls provided all six of the Falcons’ first-place finishes at the Silicon Valley Championships, held May 23 at St. Francis High. Your HealthTaking care of hearts
Los Altos resident Dr. Prasanna Menon said she was shocked when she encountered one of her Indian patients at El Camino Hospital several years ago. Her patient said her husband was being wheeled into the hospital after suffering a heart attack. From what Menon knew of the young man, he was a vegetarian who ran 4 miles a day and had just completed a healthy physical exam. “Most of the time, you’re so busy you don’t even think about these things,” she said. From sunburns to ticks, summer can pose risksSummer is here, and most likely your family will be spending time outdoors. Here are a few simple tips to help you enjoy summer and stay out of the doctor’s office. • Avoid sunburns: The most important piece of advice I can give is to always wear sunscreen when outdoors. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the sun’s rays are at their strongest, so it is best to avoid exposure. Sunscreen with a sun-protection factor of at least 15, protective clothing, including wide-brimmed hats and ultraviolet-protected sunglasses are all recommended to help reduce sun exposure. Don’t forget to reapply sunscreen after swimming or sweating. Remember, there is no safe tan (unless it comes from a bottle). Taking charge of your health care: a look at SB840It seems these days, everyone’s thinking about health care. The 2008 presidential candidates are talking about it, Massachusetts has already done something about it and California is trying to do something about it. But our state’s legislators, such as Sen. Sheila Kuehl, aren’t the only ones who should be worrying about health care. You should be worrying just as much. You should be worrying because health insurance is a problem, even in our community. In Santa Clara County alone, 12 percent of the population is uninsured. Health care isn’t just a problem for the poor. It’s a problem for middle-class families who can’t qualify for aid or pay rapidly rising insurance premiums, and for wealthy individuals who fall upon hard times and receive devastating news of a terminal illness. And contrary to what real estate prices may tell you, almost 20 percent of the families in Los Altos are earning a middle-class income or lower. New medical center seeks volunteersCamino Medical Group (CMG) is seeking “people” people to volunteer at the information desks at the two main doorways to its new medical center in Mountain View. This three-story building houses more than 150 doctors in 32 different medical departments. While patients become more familiar with the new facility, they often need help finding their way. The volunteers, 18 and older, are needed from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 12:30-5 p.m. Presently, the need is greatest for the morning shifts. The medical group requests a one-year commitment. Breads pose health threat for someBread is called the “staff of life.” But for the 2 million Americans who suffer from Celiac (also spelled coeliac) disease (CD), bread can make them ill. For those with CD, also known as gluten-specific enteropathy (GSE) or celiac sprue, the immune system reacts adversely to proteins found in certain types of gluten. These glutens can be found in many types of grain, including all forms of wheat and related grains like rye, barley and triticale. Celiac disease is one of the most underdiagnosed common illnesses. It is a multisystemic disease that manifests in myriad symptoms, including intestinal gas, diarrhea, joint pain, skin rash and headache. There are many complications, such as osteoporosis, infertility and other autoimmune disorders, along with lymphoma and other malignancies. Butterfly Life Fitness to open in Mountain ViewButterfly Life Fitness, a women’s fitness club, is scheduled to open in July at 1350 Grant Road in Mountain View. The club promises to provide “healthy living solutions for women,” which encompass fitness, health and nutrition, and beauty and fashion lectures and concepts, all under one roof, according to club owners Pamela Manquen and Ada Marie Bull. How to prevent repetitive strainsRepetitive strain injuries (RSIs) occur when we put excessive, repetitive demands on our bodies. Many RSIs are caused by wear and tear on the body’s soft tissues, such as tendons, nerves and the circulatory system. We get RSIs when we do the same motion over and over again, from maneuvering a computer mouse to stretching to reach a file cabinet. When the body doesn’t get a chance to heal, the damage accumulates. Explore new flavors at Los Altos Farmers MarketStrolling through the Farmers Market in downtown Los Altos on Thursday evenings, I can’t help but pile my basket with fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies. Unlike many supermarkets, whose produce is usually picked green and shipped from around the world, the Farmers Market provides locally grown produce picked at the peak of its ripeness - sometimes even the same day it’s sold. Esalen spa in Big Sur succors mind, body and spiritMy life has spanned 65 percent of a century. I’ve seen a lot of things change, especially the role of the human body. Mind, body and spirit used to be considered entirely separate entities. Mind was considered irrelevant to health unless you had a psychosomatic illness, which was a bad thing to have. Saying an illness was psychosomatic meant, “Stop whining, it’s all in your head. You are making this up.” When I was in the Peace Corps in Nepal, in the mid-1960s, I got very sick and had to be shipped back to San Francisco where I was hospitalized, and subsequently hospitalized four more times over the course of two years. I just couldn’t get well. How to help control your child’s asthmaDoes your child have a cough that won’t go away? Does he or she experience difficulty breathing when running or playing sports, when around people smoking cigarettes or after playing with a pet? Do colds result in a cough that lasts a long time? Symptoms of asthma include a cough, tightness in the chest, wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), difficulty breathing, tiring quickly during exercise and difficulty sleeping at night. Although a cough may occur for reasons other than asthma, such as a viral infection or postnasal drip, it may also be a sign of asthma. Mountain View On the MoveSummertime fun
Take a hike. Ride a bike. Go for a jog. Unleash your dog. Roller blade. Read in the shade. Fly a kite. Have a bite. Paddle a canoe. So much to do. It’s summer at Shoreline in Mountain View, home to one of the city’s most prominent landmarks, the towering tents of Shoreline Amphitheatre. Just next-door is a 700-acre park that may come as a surprise to those who think of Shoreline as just a concert venue. New auto service strives for integrity and honestyLos Altos resident Paul Jancis relies on a simple axiom to ensure his new auto repair business is a success: be honest with your customer. Jancis, owner of Driven Auto Care, officially opened his auto shop in Mountain View June 18. DatebookDatebookDatebook 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 |
In Our OpinionEditorialWe’ve recently covered the passing of two of this community’s most involved and committed volunteers, Lee Lynch and Billy Russell. They represented an era when people helped out, not so they could get their name on a building, but because it was simply the right thing to do. There’s a new generation of volunteers hard at work right now in this community who are carrying on their legacy. The level of involvement in the recent Los Altos Relay For Life event bears this out. |
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