Analysts: Governor's 'State of the State' goals appropriate, but unlikely to be achieved
In his State of the State address Wednesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger drew upon pigs, ponies, prisons and priorities to push a slate of economic proposals for his final year in office. (Wednesday, 6:52 PM)

Officials: Silence on settlement an oversight
Atherton officials said that the failure to inform residents about a $230,000 pay-out to a former police officer was an oversight, and one that won't happen again (Wednesday, 3:31 PM)

Are cameras for red-light runners working?
Red-light violations down 27 percent at notoriously dangerous Willow/Bayfront intersection, but accidents haven't fallen. (Wednesday, 11:37 AM)

PG&E gas bills expected to be lower this year
Gas bills are expected to be generally lower this year due to falling prices for natural gas and lower customer usage, according to Pacific Gas And Electric Co. (Wednesday, 6:56 PM)

How 'Psycho' changed things
Film critic David Thomson will discuss his new book, "The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder," at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, at Kepler's bookstore, 1010 El Camino Real in Menlo Park. Photo by Lucy Gray Photography.
(Tuesday, 11:02 AM)

Saturday: 'Summit' on government reform efforts
Officials from San Mateo County's cities, towns and school districts will meet Saturday, Jan. 9, at Canada College in Woodside to examine proposed state government reform efforts. (Tuesday, 3:40 PM)

Menlo Park reconfiguring library parking lot
Construction workers are tearing up and rebuilding a section of the parking lot in front of the Menlo Park library to create more parking spaces, and to upgrade spaces for people with disabilities.
(Tuesday, 6:44 PM)

Services set for Bob Augsburger
Memorial services will be held Friday, Jan. 29, for Robert R. "Bob" Augsburger, a former vice president of Stanford University and the first executive director of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, who died Dec. 31 at his Portola Valley home. The services will start at 4 p.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road in Portola Valley. (Tuesday, 4:26 PM)

Locals provide holiday dinner for homeless
Residents of Menlo Park's Willows neighborhood banded together over the holidays to provide a Christmas Day dinner and $2,500 in supplies for occupants of the Clara Mateo homeless shelter.
(Tuesday, 3:17 PM)

Menlo Park sponsors new children's chorus
Parents can sign their kids up for a new children's chorus, one of the many programs offered through Menlo Park's community services department. (Tuesday, 3:45 PM)

Proposal would restrict lawn size, watering
A Menlo Park proposal on the table would prevent people from running their sprinklers during the day. It would limit lawn size to 500 square feet, or 25 percent of the total landscaped area for properties with over 2,000 square feet of landscaping. The new rules would apply only to properties that undergo a substantial renovation or landscaping overhaul. The City Council is scheduled to take up a draft ordinance at its next meeting, Jan. 12. (Tuesday, 11:02 AM)

Volunteer training for home energy audits
A Palo Alto environmental nonprofit will hold two training sessions in coming weeks for volunteers interested in performing home energy audits. (Tuesday, 5:43 PM)

Music teacher, performer Stanley Buetens of Menlo Park dies
Stanley Buetens of Menlo Park died Sept. 13 at the Veteran's Affairs hospice in Palo Alto of kidney failure after a year of declining health. He was 78. (Tuesday, 11:00 AM)

Our Regional Heritage
Florence Alice Atherton models the fashionable gown she will wear for her marriage to Edward L. Eyre in 1888. The 28-year-old was the daughter of Faxon Dean Atherton, one of Atherton's early residents, and was married in San Francisco at the home of her widowed mother, Dominga Atherton. Her husband was elected the first mayor of the town. Photo courtesy of Atherton Heritage Association. (Tuesday, 1:20 PM)

Boys and Girls Clubs leader moving on
After serving for six years as director of development for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Chris Canter has accepted a position with a different nonprofit.
(Tuesday, 11:05 AM)

January hikes in the open space preserves
Updated list of free, docent-led hikes and other activities on the preserves of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Photo: A view last winter of the district's nature center on the shores of Alpine Pond in the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve under a rare blanket of snow. Photo courtesy of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. (Wednesday, 6:57 PM)

• LOCAL WEB SITES (Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 11:07 AM)
• Humane Society breaks record for adoptions (Monday, 8:10 AM)
• Donors give $106,000 to Holiday Fund (Tuesday, 11:11 AM)
• Atherton council picks Kathy McKeithen as mayor (Monday, 6:54 PM)
• Police seek driver in hit-and-run (Monday, 12:59 PM)
• After covering mortgage payments, city takes possession of below-market-rate condo (Monday, 7:48 AM)
• Caltrain has deadliest year since 1995 (Monday, 7:49 AM)
• Sen. Yee named a friend of student journalism (Monday, 7:47 AM)
• Police calls (Monday, 7:45 AM)
• Man, 27, shot, killed in East Palo Alto (Sunday, 7:17 AM)
• Home court no advantage for Menlo College (Monday, 7:42 AM)

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