Recent News
Thursday, July 27, 2017
PUBLIC AGENDA: architectural review board, utilities
A preview of Palo Alto government meetings for the week of July 31.
Thursday, 3:59 PM | No comments yetPlanning commission unanimously recommends office-cap extension
The Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission supported the city staff's recommendation to extend the 50,000 square foot office-cap ordinance on Wednesday.
Thursday, 9:50 AM | 10 commentsMan gets jail in East Palo Alto cockfighting case
An East Palo Alto man who faced charges in one of San Mateo County's largest cockfighting cases in history pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of animal cruelty and a misdemeanor on Wednesday.
Thursday, 9:47 AM | 3 commentsWednesday, July 26, 2017
Palo Alto's brick-and-mortar retailers face steep challenges
Downtown Palo Alto stores are struggling with high costs, difficulties in finding employees who will work for minimum or low wage and a parking shortage, among other problems, a panel of business owners said Wednesday morning during a discussion on the future of retail.
Wednesday, 10:45 PM | 2 commentsCity eyes higher fees for companies renting public parks
The city is eyeing new requirements, including charging potentially higher fees, for private organizations that want to use public parks for events.
Wednesday, 6:18 PM | 18 commentsMan reports assault, robbery along Oregon Expressway
A man has reported to police that he was punched, kicked and robbed in Palo Alto on July 10, after experiencing car problems and pulling over on Oregon Expressway, police said Wednesday.
Wednesday, 1:09 PM | 5 commentsParks commission: Move quickly on new dog park
Palo Alto Parks and Recreation commissioners support building a new dog park at Peers Park in the north part of town, urging city staff Tuesday night to accelerate a timeline that currently plans to start construction in early 2018.
Wednesday, 9:37 AM | 23 commentsTuesday, July 25, 2017
'Not guilty' plea in attempted murder of doctors
A Visalia man accused of plotting to kill three Bay Area doctors for treatments he claims harmed him pleaded not guilty to three counts of premeditated attempted murder on Tuesday.
Tuesday, 5:27 PM |
No comments yet
A Visalia man accused of plotting to kill three Bay Area doctors for treatments he claims harmed him pleaded not guilty to three counts of premeditated attempted murder on Tuesday.
Tuesday, 5:27 PM |
No comments yet
Police warn of phone scam demanding ransom
A virtual kidnapping scam involving a demand for ransom in exchange for a loved one's release reported across the country has reached Palo Alto in recent weeks, police said Tuesday.
Tuesday, 4:37 PM | 8 commentsMusic teacher suspected of sexually abusing student
A music teacher suspected of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl at an after-school program in Palo Alto has been arrested, police said Tuesday.
Tuesday, 9:40 AM | 1 commentMan charged for fatal East Palo Alto collision
A 27-year-old man has been charged in a collision that killed a father of five in East Palo Alto last month, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.
Tuesday, 9:20 AM | 7 commentsRegional plans for major housing growth up for approval
Elected officials from all nine Bay Area counties are set to vote this week on a road map for sustainable growth in the region over the next 23 years.
Tuesday, 8:06 AM | 12 commentsMonday, July 24, 2017
Juveniles allegedly attempt robbery with utility knife
Two boys are accused of brandishing a utility knife at four younger children in an attempted robbery earlier this month near Ventura Court in Palo Alto, police said.
Monday, 4:49 PM | 3 commentsGovernor signs CalFresh referral bill by Berman
Assembly Bill 323, authored by Assemblyman Marc Berman, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last Monday, allowing counties to connect CalFresh applicants to emergency food providers through a referral from a 2-1-1 service.
Monday, 4:13 PM | 2 commentsStanford issues auto-burglary alert
Burglaries from vehicles throughout the Stanford University campus led law enforcement officials to issue a campuswide alert last Tuesday, advising vehicle owners to lock their cars and refrain from leaving valuables inside.
Monday, 2:53 PM | No comments yetGarage fire causes an estimated $500K in damage
Firefighters quickly extinguished a garage fire in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood on Sunday night that left an estimated half-million dollars in damage, a fire battalion chief said.
Monday, 8:54 AM | 11 commentsSunday, July 23, 2017
Woman arrested for fatal crash on El Camino
A 53-year-old woman was arrested for a fatal car crash on Saturday night that killed an elderly woman and injured a man in Palo Alto, police said Monday.
Sunday, 9:57 AM | 20 commentsElected leaders celebrate start of Caltrain electrification project
Gov. Jerry Brown and other elected leaders were at the Millbrae Caltrain station Friday to celebrate the beginning of a project to electrify a large portion of Caltrain service within the next four years.
Sunday, 9:10 AM | 17 commentsNew charging stations on the way for four Palo Alto garages
Drivers who charge their electric vehicles at Palo Alto's public garages will soon have more stations at their disposal. They will, however, be charged for the privilege.
Sunday, 8:43 AM | 11 commentsPalo Alto considers extending office cap
Palo Alto's planning commission will consider this week whether to extend the annual limit on office development that the City Council established two years ago.
Sunday, 8:38 AM | 5 commentsSaturday, July 22, 2017
Actor found dead in Palo Alto hotel room
Actor John Heard, 71, best known as the dad from "Home Alone," died in a Palo Alto hotel room on Friday afternoon, according to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office.
Saturday, 1:07 PM | 11 commentsLyft to open Palo Alto center for self-driving cars
Palo Alto's Stanford Research Park will soon be home to another company pursuing the Holy Grail of the auto industry: self-driving cars. Lyft announced on Thursday that it would be opening a facility this year in Palo Alto.
Saturday, 10:50 AM | 8 commentsPeninsula labor growth has stalled
A midyear analysis of Silicon Valley and San Francisco Peninsula economic trends shows unemployment at its lowest rate since the dot-com boom, but job growth has slowed and growth in the labor force has stopped, according to a July update by the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies.
Saturday, 8:24 AM | 4 commentsFriday, July 21, 2017
Behind the Headlines: Inside code enforcement
Weekly journalists Gennady Sheyner, Anna Medina and Linda Taaffe break down how code enforcement works in Palo Alto and discuss what the city is doing to strengthen it.
Friday, 6:53 PM | No comments yetFederal judge declines to lift injunction blocking Trump order on sanctuary cities
A federal judge in San Francisco Thursday denied a request by President Donald Trump's administration to lift an injunction blocking the president's executive order on sanctuary cities.
Friday, 2:02 PM | 1 commentCommunity Notebook: Community Resource Fair
Twenty local organizations will provide information on immigration resources available to community members at a community resource fair in East Palo Alto on Sunday afternoon.
Friday, 9:49 AM | 1 commentShop Talk: Nut House's future; mobile market
In this week's retail news, the future of Antonio's Nut House remains uncertain, Facebook will debut its farmers market on wheels and Gymboree is closing at Stanford Shopping Center.
Friday, 9:30 AM | No comments yetCity cracks down on tenants at First Baptist
The city has sent out notices to First Baptist Church and to 11 organizations that rent space within the Old Palo Alto neighborhood workship place, informing them that they are violating the zoning code.
Friday, 6:54 AM | 68 commentsStanford buys homes in College Terrace, raising questions
In order to meet the housing needs of its faculty, Stanford University has stepped up buying single-family homes throughout Palo Alto and other nearby cities in the last two years, according to county records.
Friday, 6:54 AM | 44 commentsNew affordable-housing project proposed in Ventura
The nonprofit Palo Alto Housing is hoping for a better reception -- and outcome -- for its new proposal: a 67-unit development on El Camino Real, in the Ventura neighborhood.
Friday, 6:54 AM | 34 commentsPUBLIC AGENDA: proposed dog park; Stanford GUP application
A preview of Palo Alto government meetings for the week of July 24.
Friday, 6:53 AM | No comments yetThursday, July 20, 2017
Maybell Avenue development moves ahead
A developer's plan to build 16 homes on a former orchard site on Maybell Avenue scored a major victory Thursday morning, when Palo Alto's Architectural Review Board signed off on the project.
Thursday, 9:53 AM | 10 commentsAround Town: staged protest; brick and mortality
In this week's Around Town column, find out why the city has butted heads with the San Francisco Mime Troupe and other tidbits collected by the Weekly staff.
Thursday, 9:15 AM | 25 commentsRape reported at Stanford University student residence
The Stanford University Department of Public Safety is investigating an alleged rape that occurred at a student residence on campus early Wednesday morning.
Thursday, 8:22 AM | 9 commentsWednesday, July 19, 2017
Pastor accused of molesting teens pleads not guilty
A pastor from East Palo Alto pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegations that he molested three minors in the church office between 2011 and 2015, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.
Wednesday, 1:50 PM | No comments yetMaybell housing project nears final approval
A long-debated proposal to build 16 homes at a former orchard site on Maybell Avenue could win a key approval Thursday morning.
Wednesday, 9:53 AM | 17 commentsCommunity Notebook: Eshoo town hall meeting
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, will be stopping by the 18th Congressional District to meet with constituents for a town hall meeting on Saturday in Saratoga.
Wednesday, 9:23 AM | No comments yetSteel worker injured at Facebook construction site
A steel worker was injured Tuesday morning after falling at the construction site of a new Facebook building in Menlo Park, fire officials said.
Wednesday, 8:51 AM | 1 commentTuesday, July 18, 2017
Proposal to change strict water-leak policy gains traction
Several members of the Utilities Advisory Commission expressed support this week for a new policy that would provide some relief to customers whose bills were inflated by undetected water leaks.
Tuesday, 12:20 PM | 9 commentsMonday, July 17, 2017
Keene names new deputy city manager
Palo Alto City Manager James Keene went well outside Silicon Valley to hire the latest addition to his leadership team, tapping Michelle Poché Flaherty to serve as one of his two new deputies.
Monday, 5:20 PM | 30 commentsJewish day school hires former Palo Alto Unified tech teacher
In a push to create good digital citizens, Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School has hired Smita Kolhatkar, a former educational technology teacher on special assignment at Palo Alto Unified School District, as its new director of technology and innovation.
Monday, 5:18 PM | 1 commentFive-story hotel eyed for Su Hong site
The latest hotel proposal on south El Camino Real in Palo Alto calls for a five-story hotel to take over a site currently occupied by the popular Chinese restaurant, Su Hong.
Monday, 3:25 PM | 25 commentsSunday, July 16, 2017
Civil grand jury recommends new parcel tax exemptions processes for school districts
A Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury Report stated that the Palo Alto Unified School District is among the 22 school districts that have been asked to improve their parcel tax application and renewal procedures.
Sunday, 9:14 AM | 29 commentsTrio rescued after boat capsizes, sent to Stanford Hospital
Two men and a child rescued Saturday evening from San Francisco Bay after their boat capsized near the Dumbarton Bridge were sent to Stanford Hospital, according to Menlo Park Fire Protection District officials.
Sunday, 6:39 AM | 2 commentsSaturday, July 15, 2017
Award-winning Stanford math professor dies
Stanford mathematics professor Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to win the Fields Medal, mathematics' leading award, has died of cancer at the age of 40, according to Stanford News Service.
Saturday, 6:39 PM | No comments yetOff Deadline: 'Contagious hope' is powerful antidote to 'suicide contagion'
A three-person panel speaking in late June to a modest audience at Kepler's bookstore in Menlo Park presented some simple-sounding but challenging approaches to Palo Alto's nagging fear of being a "suicide contagion" capital.
Saturday, 9:26 AM | 7 commentsFriday, July 14, 2017
Behind the Headlines: 'Way Cool' open-space events for summer
Listen in on a discussion about the abundance of different and fun ranger- and docent-led activities in local open space areas from fishing with rangers to boating, twilight hikes and moth and spider hunts.
Friday, 7:13 PM | No comments yetSchool board on sex assaults: 'A change in culture' is 'needed'
Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education President Terry Godfrey wrote a message Thursday updating parents on the district's response to numerous reports of student sexual violence on and off its campuses over the last several months.
Friday, 9:56 AM | 21 commentsCode enforcement: one of City Hall's most controversial, and misunderstood, jobs
For a team that consists of just three people, Palo Alto's code enforcers have been facing an unprecedented level of public scrutiny of late.
Friday, 6:54 AM | 37 commentsEnforcement reflects the community
More than perhaps any other City Hall program, code enforcement is a custom-built operation that mirrors its community.
Friday, 6:50 AM | 7 commentsWhy the bad rap?
Code enforcement officers deal with all the most vexing issues of the day - zoning violations, gas-powered leaf blowers, too much construction noise, etc. - and are often seen by residents as the last line of defense in resolving problems.
Friday, 6:50 AM | 1 commentEditorial: Facebook's proposed 'village'
It's hard to imagine a better example of how messed up our region's planning processes and development policies are than Facebook's latest proposal.
Friday, 6:48 AM | 62 commentsPUBLIC AGENDA: planned office demolition; proposed public art
A preview of Palo Alto government meetings for the week of July 17.
Friday, 6:47 AM | No comments yet
Opening alert: Kyosho Sushi in Menlo Park
By Elena Kadvany | 0 comments | 2,353 views
Umeboshi - The Macrobiotic Antibiotic
By Laura Stec | 0 comments | 1,939 views
Beyond the Nightly Walk – Power Walking
By Max Greenberg | 0 comments | 338 views
Save $5 when you register by Monday, July 31
Registration is now open for the 33rd annual Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run and Walk. This family-friendly event which benefits local nonprofits serving kids and families will take place on Friday, Oct. 6 at the Palo Alto Baylands.
