Stitches of Love—Part 1

Silicon Valley Quilts for Kids passes along hand-made comfort to local children who are ill, injured or abused, one quilt at a time.

Swathes of fabric in every color rise from floor to ceiling in the airy upstairs room of Eddie's Quilting Bee in Sunnyvale. Large, intricate quilts drape the walls, wrapping the five ladies who are digging through boxes of patterned scraps, iron-pressing squares of cloth and running colors through sewing machines in a comforting embrace. It's the second meeting of the month for Silicon Valley Quilts for Kids, a nonprofit group that has grown from 9 members to 22 since it first convened in September 2011. The group designs, stitches and donates quilts made by its members to seriously ill, injured or abused children. “I was visiting a QFK club in Florida and I thought it was a fun group,” said Bonnie Stearns, the founder of the SVQFK chapter…

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What Are the Best Local Summer Festivals?

Tell us in the comments, and we'll add 'em to our guide.

From the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival to the Los Altos Rotary's Fine Art in the Park, Santa Clara County is filled with fun festivals—from the refined to the wacky—over the summer. Los Altos Patch is compiling a go-to guide of the best summer festivals in the county and is looking for your input. Where will you be spending your time amid the crowds this summer? We’ll publish your answers at the end of the week.

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L.A. Chung

9:29 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

And, looking ahead? Any suggestions, folks? What are your favorites? You can look outside of Los Altos, too. June, July and August stretch ahead and we want a good list for you!   more ›

Rare Steve Jobs Footage Has Exclusive Theater Engagement

"Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview" is showing this week at BlueLight Cinemas, the only Silicon Valley outlet that has it.

  During the making of the 1995 TV series Triumph of the Nerds, Steve Jobs candidly spilled his thoughts on video for an hour—after which most of the footage was thought to be lost. Recovered only recently in the form of a VHS copy in the director’s garage, the interview was remastered for the big screen. On Friday, it began its one-week run at BlueLight Cinemas in Cupertino, apparently the only place in Silicon Valley showing it now. (It made a seven-day run at the Aquarius Theater in November 2011.) “Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview” spotlights Bob Cringely’s memorable brain-picking session with the late Apple founder, 10 years after he left the company following a fall-out with then-CEO John Sculley.  At the time, Jobs was running niche …

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Time is 'Ripe' For Book Inspired by Farmers' Markets

Author will sign book about eating family farm-grown fruits and vegetables that appeal to the senses.

  Writer Cheryl Sternman Rule will be signing her book, "RIPE, A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables" Thursday afternoon at the Downtown Los Altos Certified Farmers’ Market.  Inspired by the farmers’ markets, the cookbook emphasizes the appeal of the fruits or vegetable themselves as the sole reason for eating them.  Each fruit and vegetable is accompanied by a "lighthearted" essay, photography, and one showcase recipe, along with three “quick-hit” recipe ideas, according to Barbara Ambler-Thomas, Director of Marketing and Administration for the California Farmers' Markets Association. Author and food writer Cheryl Sternman Rule of the popular food blog, 5 Second Rule, and award-winning food photographer Paulette Phlipot, …

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Cheryl Burke and William Levy Salsa to the Top

The Mountain View dance studio owner and her partner had a little bit of an advantage with this number, since the latter is Cuban!

Monday night capped off another set of stellar performances in "Dancing With the Stars" raising the stakes for Cheryl Burke and partner William Levy. Fortunately for them, Team Fuego's sizzling salsa to legendary Cuban performer Celia Cruz' "La Vida es un Carnaval," (translated to "Life is a Carnaval") got them the second highest judges' scores of the evening—a 28—and one vote shy of the waltz by Team Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas. And while not the top spot, they continue to climb. Here's some of the reactions in the Twitterverse: Tonight's the results show. Did you vote? Here's a plea from Burke, sent via her Mountain View dance studio's newsletter: Dear fans, family and friends, During the first show, William impressed the judges …

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Scenes from Upcoming Political Flick Shot in LAH

'Knife Fight,' an upcoming movie starring Rob Lowe about dirty California politics, was largely shot in the Bay Area, including scenes in Los Altos Hills.

Young Poet Wins Coastal Contest

A poem about the baleen whale inspired Shannon Burks' winning entry in the California Coastal Commission'a Art & Poetry contest, K-1st grade category .

  Shannon Burks, a Los Altos kindergartener, was among ten winners in the California Coastal Commission's 2012 Art and Poetry contest. All winners received a gift certificate for $100 to an art supply store or book store. Winners and honorable mentions received tickets to Aquarium of the Pacific, courtesy of the Aquarium. Each sponsoring teacher received a gift certificate for $50 for educational materials from Acorn Naturalists. Humpback  Baleen whale Breathing through blowhole Fast fluke frightening fish Splash  - by Shannon Burks   We've posted the winning art work, and you can read the winning poetry of the other four categories at the Coastal Commission website, as well as the 36 entries that received honorable mention. The art work …

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Injury Accident on Hwy 85 Flips 1 Car Over

The traffic incident occurred at 12:54 p.m. and backed up traffic for close to an hour from Mountain View into Los Altos.

One person was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries after a two-car collision on Highway 85 in Mountain View Tuesday afternoon, highway officials report. The incident, near the southbound exit of El Camino Real exit on northbound, was called in at 12:54 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol Officer Amelia Jack. A light pole was knocked down and Caltrans was contacted, she confirmed. Images from Mountain View employee Karen Prescott captured a CHP officer speaking to what appears to be a passenger from a sedan that had flipped over and landed on its roof. The second vehicle involved was a Jeep Cherokee, shared Officer Jack. Reports on KCBS Traffic noted that, possibly the Jeep, had landed in a tree. Jack could not …

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Thomas Kinkade,'Painter of Light,' Has Died

Famed 'Painter of Light' dies at age 54.