Sunday, May 20, 2012
Campaign by local department joins state and nationwide effort to crack down on unbuckled motorists May 21-June 3.
The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department is warning local motorists that it will be cracking down on those who don't buckle up starting Monday, May 21. The department is joining state and national law enforcement agencies during the "Click It or Ticket" campaign, which runs for two weeks until June 3 "to help save lives," it said in a written press release issued this week. "Seat belts are the most effective piece of life-saving equipment on your car." A first-time ticket for not wearing a seat belt is at least $142, the department said. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2010 nationally, 61 percent of the 10,647 passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes overnight were not …
Los Gatos' future Congressional leader calls House Republican version of the law ‘unacceptable.’
U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, who will begin representing Los Gatos next January, decried this week a GOP plan to renew the Violence Against Women Act as undoing many of the protections enshrined in the original law. The Act is up for reauthorization in Congress, and House Republican Sandy Adams (R-Fla) introduced a bill, H.R. 4970, to that end. But the proposal is a big step back for women's safety, said Eshoo in a statement. “Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act has been an essential tool in protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence, and it has always been bipartisan,” Rep. Eshoo said. “The House Republican’s version of VAWA unwinds the long-standing commitment to lifesaving assistance for the most vulnerable victims. It …
A D.I.Y. pinhole projector for safe viewing of the eclipse takes just a few minutes, and requires some cardboard, a pin and some foil.
I'm a sucker for eclipses. Lunar, solar, full, partial. You name it. You just have to be armed and ready. After all there's nothing better than a celestial event to get people to do things they don't normally do—stay up late, or go outside with anticipation. Or talk to complete strangers because they're sharing something extraordinary. That's what it was like during the last solar eclipse I saw in 1992, in the middle of the workday. And of course, the advice then was the same as it is this week: Don't look at the sun. We all came out of San Francisco City Hall, where I worked, our little makeshift pinhole projectors. And we all oohed and ahhhed. And we talked to each other. When news of the annular eclipse came out, I rejoiced. It's a rare…
Steve Sporleder's novel 'From Sleepy Lagoon to the Corner of the Cats' is up for 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Award in NY on June 4, 2012.
Longtime Los Gatos resident and author Steve Sporleder has been named a finalist in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for his historical novel, From Sleepy Lagoon to the Corner of the Cats. Sporleder has also authored two other books, A Fouled Nest and Gallivanting in the City, set in the town of Los Gatos. He's retired from the fire service in a career that lasted more than 30 years. His grandfather, father, uncles and brothers were also in the fire service. His family has served Los Gatos and surrounding areas for more than 100 years, said Los Gatos poet laureate Parthenia Hicks. In From Sleepy Lagoon to the Corner of the Cats, Sporleder recounts the saga of four generations of la familia Reyes in powerful, moving terms, Hicks …
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The South Bay added 3,600 jobs last month, the strongest employment growth in the state for April. However, the Bay Area's overall growth represents a slowdown in hiring.
Bay Area jobless numbers dropped in April after a small uptick in March, part of a statewide and national trend, according to state employment officials. The state's unemployment rate in April was 10.9 percent, according to the California Employment Development Department, down slightly from March's 11 percent rate. That number was down from 11.8 percent in April 2011. The South Bay added 3,600 jobs last month, the strongest employment growth in the entire state for April, the San Jose Mercury News reports. However, while the Bay Area overall added 3,200 jobs, last month's growth represents a slowdown from the pace of employment gains seen earlier this year, the paper states. During the first three months of 2012, the region averaged …
Registration is now open for a new program that sends children as young as 4 to school.
Starting this fall, children aged 4 years old and up, born between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1, will have the option to participate in a transitional kindergarten program offered by the Los Gatos Union School District. Bitsey Stark, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for LGUSD, presented an update on the program to the district’s trustees during their May 15 meeting. Stark informed the board that 18 children have registered for the 2012-13 program so far. One student will be attending at Louise Van Meter Elementary, eight at Daves Ave. Elementary, two at Lexington Elementary and seven at Blossom Hill Elementary, she said. The program will be phased into the district over the next three years, Stark explained, and each year the …
A look at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office's arrest and booking reports for May 6-8, 2012. The following arrest information does not indicate a conviction.
Battery/Criminal Threats Mary Herrera, 54, of Gilroy, May 6, 10:40 p.m., at Pacheco Pass Highway and Bloomfield Avenue in Gilroy, for one misdemeanor related to battery on former spouse, fiance or cohabitant, and felony threats to commit crime resulting in death or injury of a person. DUI Hit-And-Run Use/Under the Influence Assault With Deadly Weapon Guy Perry, 44, of Campbell, May 7, 10:30 a.m., at W. Hedding Street and Guadalupe Expressway in San Jose, for felony assault with a deadly weapon. Suspended License Parole Hold David Shrader, 43, of Campbell, May 7, 2:45 p.m., at 766 Warring Drive in San Jose, for felony parole hold. Battery Possession Robbery Derek Dixon, 37, of Milpitas, 3:40 p.m., May 7, at 115 Terrain St. in San Jose, …
These are the checkout rankings for May 8-15.
1. Bye bye, baby, Max Allan Collins It’s 1962, and Twentieth Century Fox is threatening to fire Marilyn Monroe. The blond goddess hires Nate Heller, private eye to the stars, to tap her phone so she will have a record of their calls in case they take her to court. When Heller starts listening, he uncovers far more than nasty conversations. (amazon) 2. Stephen King On Nov. 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? The author's new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination. 3. Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson Draws on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs, as well as interviews with family members, friends, competitors, and …
This is an early photo of the town depot in 1900.
- PATCH'S HOUSE & HOME
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Yesterday
This historical photograph shows the Los Gatos railroad station looking south in 1900, 112 years ago. To the left of the depot is the Lyndon Livery Stable. Visible past the depot is the Union Ice Company sign. Source: Hooked on Los Gatos, the Library and Museum History Project Provided by Los Gatos librarian Henry Bankhead
Friday, May 18, 2012
Patrick Schmitt, president of Pierce College Puyallup in Washington, succeeds Chancellor John E. Hendrickson, who's retiring at the end of June.
A Washington college president has been selected as the new chancellor of West Valley-Mission Community College District effective July 1. Patrick Schmitt, president of Pierce College Puyallup in Washington, succeeds Chancellor John E. Hendrickson, who's retiring at the end of June after serving in that capacity for more than three years, since August of 2008. Schmitt, college president since 2010, brings with him 29 years of experience in higher education, including 16 as a full-time faculty member, said WVMCCD Associate Vice Chancellor Bradley Davis. In visiting West Valley College in Saratoga and Mission College in Santa Clara, Schmitt said he was impressed with the energy he sensed and the opportunity to further emphasize the district’…
Gary Ashford
1:53 pm on Sunday, May 20, 2012
This is just one of many leftist wedge issues to distract the electorate from the abysmal failure of this administration's economic and healthcare schemes. Enough already. more ›