Thursday, May 17, 2012
Looking to join up with others to view the 'annular' solar eclipse on Sunday? Here's neat compilation by 'Astro-Prof' Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the astronomy program at Foothill College.
We know. On the weekends, you may be find yourself away from home, but somewhere in the Bay Area or around Northern California. With a big event like the annular solar eclipse coming up Saturday we thought we'd help you find a viewing event closer than you thought. Viewing won't be quite as stunning as the photo that accompanies this article, since it was taken by satellite, but astronomers say that an annular solar eclipse, with 84 percent coverage of the sun is well worth seeing. This list includes a few select locations outside of the Bay Area, including Sacramento. And remember to view safely. Berkeley The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley (1 Centennial Drive) will have several solar telescopes for …
Services for Emily Benatar who died of spinal meningitis last week, will be 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos HIlls.
Emily Benatar, a 19-year-old Palo Alto High School graduate who died from complications of a meningococcal disease last week will be rememberd at memorial service Saturday in at Congregation Beth Am. Meningococcal disease is best known for causing meningitis, which is the inflammation of protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and has a high mortality rate if it goes untreated. Benatar was diagnosed in late April. Benatar, who was in her first year at Washington University in St. Louis, died last Wednesday at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis with her family by her side, university Chancellor Mark Wrighton said. Benatar was one of the captains of the lacrosse team in her senior year at Palo Alto High School, helping …
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…
After a year of public input and tinkering, the proposed improvements to the pathway also called the Stanford Trail, are getting a new airing before the Los Altos Hills Town Council.
It was, to put it colloquially, "too, too." Too much footbridge. Too much ugly retaining wall. Too much traffic already. For one mile's worth of pathway, particularly one for free (courtesy of Stanford University), the Arastradero Pathway improvement bore a lot of scrutiny last year. Residents banded together and raised a hue and cry last year, and became engaged. Now it's back for a public hearing Thursday night, after considerable tinkering through several meetings and workshops in the past year. The pathway running from Arastradero Road and Purissima to Baleri Ranch Road and Arastradero has been scaled back and changed, as detailed in the staff report: On a separate front, increased attention to traffic enforcement has worked to …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Parents asked the county board of education to come to Los Altos last January. Five months later, discussions were restarted and a possible meeting date was resurrected at Eagle Theater.
Is it a go? Will it happen? On Wednesday night, they'll talk about it. After some starts and stops, a subcommittee of the Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) has convened and re-identified a date and a location for a forum in Los Altos: May 22, Eagle Theater. The board will discuss whether that date and that forum can go forward, more than five months after the board acceded to Los Altos parents' entreaties for the board to come to the community and engage in dialogue about its role in authorizing the Bullis Charter School and community expectations. The main difference now is that a tentative long-term agreement has been reached between Bullis Charter School and the Los Altos School District, that has the potential to bring a…
A swarm of traffic collisions, all concentrated in the lunch hour, a counterfeit bill is passed at Los Altos High School, and much more from the Los Altos police in Monday's police log.
Forgery - 9:31 a.m., 201 Almond Ave; forgery, cold report, counterfeit bill received, report taken. Traffic Collisions - 9:37 a.m., May 14; University Avenue and El Monte Avenue; traffic collission, no injuries, property damage only, officer assisted with names exchange. - 11:55 a.m., 1000 block of Golden Avenue, accident, hit and run, property damage only, no report requested - 12:09 p.m., Almond Avenue and San Antonio Road; accident, no injuries, property damage only, officer assisted with names exchange. - 12:40 p.m., El Camino Real and Showers Drive; accident no injuries, officers checked area and found no sign of involved parties. - 12:46 p.m., Showers Drive and Latham Street, Mountain View; accident, no injuries, referred to …
There are safe ways, with a do-it-yourself, 'pinhole projector,' but don't risk serious damage to your eyes Sunday by looking directly at the sun, Foothill College's "Astro-Prof" advises. Or, go to one of the Bay Area's many viewing parties or events.
A partial solar eclipse is expected to darken the sun between 5:16 and 7:40 p.m. Sunday, but astronomers are advising you look ver-r-r-r-y carefully. How carefully? Start by turning your back to the sun. Really. "It is very important that everyone tempted by the sight of 84 percent of the sun's area being covered by the Moon take heed of the warnings you will hear for much of the coming week," Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College, and a frequent radio commentator on all things astronomical. People can watch by making do-it-yourself pinhole projectors. They view the eclipse by turning their back to the sun and letting the sun shine through the pinhole onto a piece of paper. From there, the progression of …
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Foothill College
12345 S El Monte Rd, Los Altos Hills, CA
Foothill Observatory will open at 5 p.m. for the eclipse viewing on May 20.
/articles/ready-for-the-eclipse-how-to-view-it-safely
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Uwe Kladde, who earlier this year left the hospital board, also decides to leave the El Camino Hospital district board.
Uwe Kladde, one of six directors on the El Camino Hospital District Board, has relinquished his seat, citing a need to spend more focused time on family. The Los Altos Hills resident, who has served on the district board since 2008, is leaving before the end of his term, which expires in November 2012. “We are grateful for all of the time and effort Uwe has contributed to the district and hospital boards over the years to make our community a healthier place, and we wish him and his family all the best,” said Board Chairman John Zoglin. Kladde's resignation opens up another seat at a time when El Camino Hospital District is selecting appointees to an expanded district board. The board is in the final stages of assessing applicants for …
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-122.11521
Adobe Animal Hospital
4470 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA
/articles/los-altos-hills-director-steps-down-from-el-camino-board
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/locations/7025460
We've listed eight places where you can get a pizza in Los Altos. What's your choice for a great pie?
Ah, pizza. Thin crust, thick crust, deep dish, pizza is the ubiquitous dish in American culture, whether we're gathering after a sports event or having an easy night without cooking. In a family-oriented communities like Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, perhaps even more so, given its popularity with kids and adults alike. We've listed eight restaurants where you can have pizza, some that are pizza joints, some that are Italian restaurants with pizza on the menu. We want you to choose one that is your go-to choice when you want a great pizza and nothing else will do. - Bella Vita Ristorante, 376 First St. - The Boardwalk, 4940 El Camino Real - Cafe Vitale, 987 Fremont Ave. - Oregano's Wood-Fired Pizza, 4546 El Camino Real - Pompeii Italian…
Concerned about a complex agreement getting passed on a tight time-frame, parents urged the Los Altos School District board to "sunshine" the long-term agreement that is being negotiated with Bullis Charter School.
Parents want any agreement hammered out between the Los Altos School Board and the Bullis Charter School to be available for public inspection for two weeks before any vote. During a special meeting of the board Monday night, the LASD Board of Trustees invited input on two topics: the tentative long-term agreement announced May 7 with Bullis Charter School (BCS) that would result in it moving to its own campus, and the prospects and possible timing for a bond measure to build that campus. The board is under a tight June 1 timeline to try to resolve a number of details about a 10-year agreement that means: Parents had several opinions, and board president Mark Goines asked they also try to come with possible solutions and alternatives, …
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Egan Junior High School
100 W Portola Ave, Los Altos, CA
/articles/parents-show-us-the-bullis-agreement-for-two-weeks
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Joan J. Strong
8:21 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
It's illegal to NOT enroll your child in their local neighborhood public school. This is the same model we've had here for some 250 years. It's dishonest conflation, therefore, to say that public schools are "exclusionary" just like BCS. Meanwhile, BCS recently corrected their illegal behavior in this regard when an SCCBOE board member called this out. Kudos. Now, will BCS "really" reach out to … more ›