AROUND THE BLOCK AROUND THE BLOCK (September 28, 2005)

GENEROUS NEIGHBORS . . . Duveneck/St. Francis neighborMaureen Simons reports the raffle/fund-raiser she organized Feb. 8, raised $12,000 for an AIDS orphanage in Malawi, Africa (see Weekly story 'From Palo Alto to Africa,' Jan. 26), thanks to generous neighbors and local church members. The money built a new wing at the orphanage. The Stanford Band was the raffle prize, won by neighbor Charlotte Goldsberry, who donated the band performance to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of St. Mark's Rev. Matt McDermott. The Stanford Band marched down the church's aisles last Sunday, at the end of the 10 a.m. service, performing 'When the Saints Go Marching In.' "There are children 14,000 miles away who now have a roof over their head tonight, thanks to that wacky band," Simons said.

NEWEST NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION . . . Adobe Meadow Neighborhood Association, Palo Alto's newest, now covers the area bounded by Adobe Creek, Middlefield Road and East Meadow Drive. "The motivation is that our neighborhood didn't have one and there's a lot of redevelopment planned and projected for the East Meadow Circle area. ... I wanted to get our community into the loop, instead of it being 'just me,' resident Arthur Keller wrote in an e-mail message. If you're interested in joining, contact Arthur Keller at www.adobemeadow.org. E-mail info@adobemeadow.org.

ELECTION WATCH . . . Still not familiar with the candidates? Three more council-candidate forums and three school board candidate forums are scheduled around town before the Nov. 8 election: The north Palo Alto neighborhood associations' candidate forum will be held Oct. 1 at 9:30 a.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road; the south Palo Alto neighborhood associations' candidate forum is held Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at Mitchell Park Community Center, 3800 Middlefield Road; a candidate forum sponsored by Acterra will be on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center. School board forums are: League of Women Voters sponsored forum, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at the school district's Office Board Room, 25 Churchill Ave.; Terman PTA-sponsored forum, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Terman Middle School Cafetorium, 655 Arastradero Road; Community Advisory Committee for Special Education and the Palo Alto Weekly forum is Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the school district's Office Board Room, 25 Churchill Road.

DISASTER TRAINING . . . The disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina is a sober reminder that neighborhoods must be prepared in the event of any disaster. Six-week training sessions for Palo Alto's Community Emergency Response Team, known as Palo Alto Neighborhood Disaster Activities (PANDA) begin Oct. 12. Classes include hands-on training in disaster medicine, terrorism, fire suppression and light search and rescue. Contact Barbara Cimino, disaster coordinator at 617-3164.

NO COFFEE WITH THESE DOUGHNUTS . . . Someone has been burning rubber during the late night hours in the Crescent Park neighborhood intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Central Street. Telltale "doughnuts," skid marks in the shape of circles, have been left in the road during the past few months. Neighbors, who asked to remain anonymous, said they have heard the culprits squealing their car tires late at night, creating a cloud of smoke. On one occasion, neighbors saw two men return to the intersection to study the tire marks. Police are asking residents to call whenever the activity occurs, so the department will have a record of incidents, and can beef up patrols in the area - before it becomes a problem.

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