Publication Date: Friday, January 07, 2005
News Digest
News Digest
(January 07, 2005)
Stanford student presumed dead
A Stanford University Graduate School of Business student who has been missing since the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster has been presumed dead by his family. James H. Hsu had been vacationing in Thailand when the disaster struck.
His family released the following statement:
"After traveling to Thailand to search for James, it is clear to us that he has passed away. He was outgoing and introspective, athletic and intelligent, bold and sensitive. We are comforted by the wonderful memories that he left us and the hundreds if not thousands of lives that he touched. We have been told over and over again that he had a great gift for business, a gift for sports, a gift for so many things, but to us James was a gift, our greatest gift. And for that we consider ourselves very lucky.
"As we mourn him, it is vital to consider the scope of the tragedy that took him from us. Our hearts and prayers are with the families and friends throughout the world who have lost loved ones in the tsunami. We hope that James' life will spur all of us to take action and contribute to the effort to help those who have survived, not just in the immediate aftermath, but also throughout the long, long road to recovery."
Information about the date and location of a memorial service is not yet available.
New mayor to be selected
Palo Alto's City Council will choose its next mayor on Monday night, and it's almost certainly going to be Councilman Jim Burch, who served as vice mayor in 2004.
Councilwoman Judy Kleinberg will likely be picked as vice mayor. Last year at this time, Kleinberg agreed not to vie for the vice-mayor position so Burch could be mayor in 2005. This is his final year on the council.
Like many cities in the Peninsula, Palo Alto's mayor is not the city's chief executive, a role held instead by the city manager. Instead, mayors run council meetings and appoint officials to committees. Palo Alto's past three mayors have also begun initiatives and formed committees to help support the city's retailers.
Monday's meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. inside the City Council chambers in City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
-- Bill D'Agostino
Officers' trial delayed
The court case against two Palo Alto officers accused of using excessive force won't begin until at least March, according to the attorney prosecuting the case.
"We're still finishing discovery and I'm going on vacation," Deputy District Attorney Peter Waite explained. The case had originally been scheduled to begin on Jan. 10.
The new court date is March 7, Waite said.
Palo Alto Officers Michael Kan and Craig Lee are accused of beating 60-year-old Albert Hopkins in July 2003. Last year, the city awarded Hopkins $250,000 to settle a claim he filed.
During a preliminary hearing in June, Hopkins testified that Kan and Lee pulled him from his car, parked near El Camino Real, and beat him with their batons "like two sharks going at some blood in the water."
The officers' attorneys have tried to discredit Hopkins by saying he had a negative bias against police officers and had refused to listen to their orders.
-- Bill D'Agostino
Tall tree nominees sought
The Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce and the Palo Alto Weekly are seeking nominations for the annual Tall Tree Awards, which recognize exceptional civic contributions and service to the community.
Nominations are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 14. They can be mailed to the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, faxed to (650) 324-1215 or e-mailed to programs@paloaltochamber.com.
There are four separate categories for the award: citizen/volunteer, professional/businessperson, business and nonprofit. Nominations should include a one-page letter, up to three letters of support and up to three pages in supplementary material.
For more information, visit www.paloaltochamber.com.
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