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Thursday: Portola Valley concert on lawn
Bundy Browne and the Expresso Rhythm Section will perform Thursday, June 20, at the first of three free summer concerts on the lawn at the Portola Valley Town Center, 765 Portola Road. The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. (Wednesday, 10:54 AM)

Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Sandberg tells grads how she overcame fears
This is an excerpt from prepared remarks by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, for the Sequoia High School commencement in Redwood City on June 7. (Tuesday, 11:25 PM)

Con man busted in Las Vegas
Bad news: Convicted con man Simon Gann will be returning to the Bay Area. Good news: He should be doing so courtesy of law enforcement. (Tuesday, 11:23 PM)

Menlo Park: Vice President Joe Biden dines at Left Bank
Here's another photo of Vice President Joe Biden in Menlo Park on Saturday, June 15. He's with Khephra Molloy, general manager of the Left Bank restaurant in Menlo Park, where he had lunch. (Tuesday, 11:13 PM)

Menlo Park school bond measure officially approved for November ballot
Expanded version of earlier story. There was much agonizing over language but no surprises when the Menlo Park City School District board met Monday night (June 17) and unanimously approved placing a $23 million bond measure on the November ballot. (Tuesday, 11:45 AM)

Woodside seeks better handling of bike tours
Woodside Town Council members are upset about how deputies from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office handled -- or did not handle -- a June 9 bike tour when hundreds of cyclists passed through town and reportedly jammed the intersection of Woodside and Canada roads for hours. (Tuesday, 7:46 AM)

Menlo teammates win USTA NorCal junior titles
Winning tennis titles is nothing new for Palo Alto's David Ball or Atherton's Lane Leschly, who helped the Menlo School boys sweep the Central Coast Section and NorCal crowns once again this spring. Read this and other sports coverage at PA Sports Online.com. (Tuesday, 7:43 AM)

Menlo Park council OKs $76 million budget
The city of Menlo Park raided its sofa and found some pocket change, bumping up its projected 2013-14 fiscal year budget by approximately $400,000. (Tuesday, 7:38 AM)

Wednesday: Menlo Park block party features bands, diaper derby, pie-eating contest
Bands, a pie-eating contest and a diaper derby are some of the highlights of the 7th annual Menlo Park summer block party, set for Wednesday, June 19, from 5 to 9 p.m. on downtown Santa Cruz Avenue. (Tuesday, 7:37 AM)

Menlo Park: Subcommittee delivers update on Stanford-Arrillaga project on El Camino Real
When last we heard from the Menlo Park council on the proposed eight-acre Stanford-Arrillaga project, a subcommittee had been appointed on April 16 in the hopes of guiding concerned residents and Stanford to a detente. (Tuesday, 7:27 AM)

Monday, June 17, 2013
Feature story: Envisioning a 'frontier of possibility'
Hillview Middle School Principal Erik Burmeister blazed new trails during his first year on the job, and promises to continue changing classroom strategies to "prepare kids for their future, not ... for our past." (Monday, 11:27 PM)

Today: Celebration of life of SHP grad Aya Nakano
A celebration of the life of Aya Nakano, a 2008 graduate of Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton who was shot and killed June 12 in Oakland, will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at the Homer Center on the Sacred Heart Schools campus, 150 Valparaiso Ave. in Atherton. (Monday, 6:11 PM)

Swimmers salute inspiring coach George French
It's been decades since they were swimming together as kids under the direction of Coach George French, but many of the swimmers on the Ladera Oaks Aquatic Club during the 1960s and '70s reunited Saturday, June 15, to reminisce and thank their childhood coach. (Monday, 5:47 PM)

Tonight: Board meets on school bond measure
The Menlo Park City School District board meets at 7 p.m. Monday (June 17) in a special session at Hillview Middle School to formally approve placing a $23 million bond measure on the November ballot, and to finalize the ballot language. (Monday, 11:57 AM)

Menlo Park market robbed at gunpoint
A masked man robbed La Michoacana Market in Menlo Park at gunpoint on Saturday. (Monday, 9:20 AM)

Kepler's hosts National Geographic this summer
Lions, polar ecology and Mars are a few of the topics that explorers from National Geographic will present during a series of five lectures hosted by Kepler's Books, beginning June 18. (Monday, 7:59 AM)

Taking a breath between high school and college
For many high school seniors, May 1 means one thing: the deadline for accepting admission to college. For some students, however, it may also mean deferring acceptance, and taking a gap year to do something entirely different. (Monday, 7:56 AM)

Sunday, June 16, 2013
Tours of Shoreway Environmental Center
The free tours include visiting the transfer station, where garbage and yard trimmings are handled; the outdoor education area with a demonstration garden and composting systems; and the materials recovery facility, where recyclables are processed. (Sunday, 8:33 PM)

Windrider Film Forum features 'Linsanity'
The Windrider Film Forum returns to the Performing Arts Center at Menlo-Atherton High School from June 27 to 29. (Sunday, 8:33 PM)

Onslaught of California oak moths
California oak moths are fluttering around right now, particularly in pockets of Woodside and Portola Valley. (Sunday, 8:32 PM)

Sharon Heights Golf Club staffer honored at SFSU
Kathleen Downing, who works at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, was honored as one of San Francisco State University's top graduates at graduation ceremonies on May 25. (Sunday, 8:32 PM)

Joe Biden drops by Menlo Park
Sandie Timm of Menlo Park sent us this photo of Vice President Joe Biden with her son Ben, 7, at the Harvest furniture store at 639 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park on Saturday, June 15. (Sunday, 11:01 AM)

Saturday, June 15, 2013
All lanes reopened on Hwy. 35 after crash
All lanes have reopened on State Highway 35 in San Mateo County following an injury accident, according to the California Highway Patrol. (Saturday, 8:53 PM)

Sixty-nine graduate from Woodside Priory
Sixty-nine seniors received diplomas June 1 at Woodside Priory's 53rd commencement on the Portola Valley campus. (Saturday, 10:30 AM)

Friday, June 14, 2013
Atherton: Jerry Carlson resigns from council
Jerry Carlson has made it official: He will step down from the Atherton City Council on July 1 after serving for seven and a half years. The council on June 19 will discuss whether to appoint his successor or call for a special election. (Friday, 6:21 PM)

Local girls earn All-American honors in lacrosse
Palo Alto High grad Nina Kelty and Menlo School graduate Ali Kim both were among eight girls from Northern California named first team All-Americans by US Lacrosse on Thursday. Read this and other sports coverage at PASportsOnline.com. (Friday, 10:54 AM)

Menlo Park decides to sell below-market-rate house at market rate
When the Menlo Park council last discussed the below-market-rate house at 25 Riordan Place, council members worried about what condition the property would be in once the city finished buying it back from the two owners. (Friday, 9:18 AM)

County fair runs through Sunday
The 79th annual San Mateo County Fair continues through June 16 at the San Mateo Event Center, 2495 South Delaware St. in San Mateo. (Friday, 12:31 AM)

Sunday: Music to a tee
Golf and music don't immediately spring to mind as natural companions. The East Palo Alto Junior Golf Program aims to change that, however, through its first annual "Music to a Tee" fundraiser on Sunday, June 16. (Friday, 12:27 AM)

Saturday/Sunday: Book sale at Menlo library
The Friends of the Menlo Park Library will hold a two-day book sale Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16, at the library in the Menlo Park Civic Center. (Friday, 12:25 AM)

Saturday: Peninsula Debutante Ball
Twenty young women will bow at the 53rd Peninsula Debutante Ball to be held Saturday, June 15, at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto. (Friday, 12:24 AM)

Police calls: armed robbery on Menalto Avenue
Crime reports from Menlo Park and West Menlo Park. (Friday, 12:23 AM)

Thursday, June 13, 2013
Burglary thwarted by homeowner
Would-be burglars were interrupted by a homeowner Thursday morning in the 1300 block of Stockbridge Avenue in unincorporated San Mateo County, a sheriff's deputy said. (Thursday, 11:42 PM)

Sacred Heart Prep graduate shot and killed in Oakland
Aya Nakano, who graduated from Sacred Heart Prepatory in 2008, was fatally shot in North Oakland late Wednesday, an hour before his 23rd birthday, after getting into a confrontation with two suspects who had rear-ended his car, police said. (Thursday, 8:13 PM)

Crews contain house fire in Atherton
A fire on Thursday in the 100 block of Almendral Avenue in Atherton damaged a pool house, a storage shed, a carport-like shed and about 25 percent of the main house, a firefighter said. (Thursday, 3:10 PM)

Menlo Park boys win soccer title
The Menlo Park Boys Under 10 AYSO Select soccer team won the Davis World Cup soccer tournament on Memorial Day weekend in Davis, California. (Thursday, 1:41 PM)

Portola Valley report on affordable housing
In planning for housing affordable to people of low and moderate incomes, as state law requires, a committee of volunteers advised the Portola Valley Town Council to go with second units, below-market-rate homes built in new subdivisions, and on-site employee housing associated with commercial enterprises or institutions. (Thursday, 11:32 AM)

Tonight: Jesse Cool helps launch 'Share' recipe book at Kepler's in Menlo Park
Restaurateur and author Jesse Ziff Cool and Women for Women International volunteer Lauri Pastrone will help launch "Share," the first recipe book from Women for Women International, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park. (Thursday, 10:57 AM)

Friday: Reservations due for Woodside Vintage Affaire
Invitations are in the mail for the 31st Vintage Affaire to be held Saturday, June 22, in Woodside as a benefit for Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
(Thursday, 10:42 AM)

Menlo Park police chief seeks a few good citizens for advisory committee
Are you an avid follower of all things related to the Menlo Park police? Chief Robert Jonsen would like to talk to you. (Thursday, 9:04 AM)

Editorial: Gap year -- a Year of Living Adventurously
It's not always obvious when we as individuals arrive at a crossroad. Decisions that seem inconsequential at the time can lead to events and situations that can be life-changing. Some crossroads, however, are quite predictable and it is useful to consider the options when we're at one. Personal character could be at stake. (Thursday, 8:54 AM)

Meetings set on supes districts
San Mateo County voters decided last year to have county supervisors run for election within their districts rather than county-wide. Do current district boundaries need changes? The Board of Supervisors recently appointed a committee to engage the public in a series of meetings on this question. (Thursday, 8:52 AM)

Menlo Park weighs privacy versus surveillance
On the heels of an announcement of the long-awaited Belle Haven police substation, the Menlo Park council found itself mulling over privacy rights versus surveillance. (Thursday, 8:52 AM)

Today: Farmers' market starts trial run in Portola Valley
Thursday afternoon marks the start of a six-week trial for a farmers' market in the parking lot of the Historic Schoolhouse in Portola Valley. (Thursday, 8:51 AM)

SamTrans launches blog
Dying to know what SamTrans is up to? Go to the transportation agency's new blog. Recently featured: How Menlo Park second graders saved up enough to buy Giants tickets and get to the game via bus and Caltrain. (Thursday, 8:44 AM)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Voters to decide whether to adopt $23 million bond measure for new school in Menlo Park
School board members last night (June 11) agreed with Menlo Park City School District staff that district voters should be asked to approve a $23 million bond measure in November to pay for the reopening of a fifth campus. A new school is needed, the board determined earlier this year, to address rapidly growing enrollment. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 11:48 AM)

Webb Ranch denies allegations in lawsuit over accident involving horses on Interstate 280
Attorneys for Webb Ranch have filed a response to the lawsuit by Dr. Jean W. Gillon that accuses the ranch of negligence in connection with an accident on Interstate 280 in the early morning darkness in December 2012. Webb Ranch denies all the allegations. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 11:20 AM)

It's a national title for the NorCal Rowers
Menlo-Atherton High senior Katie Kelly and recent Woodside grad Makayla Karr-Warner rowed off with a national title at the USRowing Youth National Championships on June 8-9 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The two, who compete for NorCal Rowers, won the Lightweight Women's Doubles. Read this and other sports coverage at PA Sports Online.com. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 10:47 AM)

$3.6 million gift for Menlo Park school district
The Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation is giving $3.6 million to the Menlo Park City School District to help fund teachers and educational programs, the foundation announced Tuesday. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 10:29 AM)

Webb Ranch to sell produce at farmers' markets
It's nearly summer, but the Webb Ranch fruit and vegetable stand at Alpine Road and Interstate 280 has been dark and empty. The ranch, in business since 1922, is in the process of trying something new, and old: selling produce at area farmers' markets. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 9:20 AM)

Today: Tip a cop in Menlo Park
Drop by Stacks restaurant in Menlo Park on Thursday, June 13, to support the city's police officers in raising funds for the Special Olympics. (Wednesday, June 12, 2013, 9:08 AM)

Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Woodside High grads leave gift for future
At Woodside High on June 7, the 382 candidates for graduation in the Class of 2013 had something for the two classes coming along behind them in 2014 and 2015: two $1,000 scholarships for each class. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 5:17 PM)

Cyclist injured in collision on Alpine Road
A 58-year-old Palo Alto bicyclist was thrown 8 to 10 feet in the air and was injured in a collision with a vehicle on Alpine Road near Interstate 280 on Sunday morning (June 9), according to the California Highway Patrol and the Woodside Fire Protection District. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 1:27 PM)

It's a national title for the NorCal Rowers
Menlo-Atherton High senior Katie Kelly and recent Woodside graduate Makayla Karr-Warner rowed off with a national title at the USRowing Youth National Championships this past weekend in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Read this and other sports coverage at PASportsOnline.com. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 9:58 AM)

2013 girls' spring all-league teams
LACROSSE
WEST BAY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Foothill Division
Tri-MVPs: Caroline Cummings (Sacred Heart Prep); Katherine Hobbs (Castilleja); Ali Kim (Menlo School) Read this and other sports coverage at PA Sports Online.com. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 9:56 AM)

Tonight: Granny units coming to Menlo Park
Granny's got a new place to stay, or at least she will, once the Menlo Park City Council concludes its authorization of secondary, aka "in-law," aka "granny," units. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 7:11 AM)

Refuge restaurant opens in Menlo Park
It's all about pastrami and Belgian beer at "The Refuge" restaurant in San Carlos. Owner and chef Matt Levin is now bringing his popular concept to Menlo Park, opening a second Refuge at 1143 Crane St. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 7:06 AM)

Menlo Park sued over car's collision with train
The aftershocks of a late April afternoon collision continue to ripple through Menlo Park a year later: Two women who had been traveling in a car struck by a train at the Ravenswood crossing are now suing the city, the county, Caltrain and the state.
(Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 7:05 AM)

Tonight: Portola Valley council to discuss committee report on affordable housing
The Portola Valley Town Council will meet at Wednesday, June 12, to discuss a report from a committee of nine volunteers on how the town should address the controversial topic of affordable housing mandates. (Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 12:06 AM)

Monday, June 10, 2013
Woodside woman hailed as hero after Boston bombings
The woman hailed in last week's national news, "Bombing survivor meets her hero," is Amanda North of Woodside. (Monday, June 10, 2013, 8:36 PM)

Menlo Park City School District voters may be asked to approve $23 million bond measure
School board members on Tuesday (June 11) will consider a staff recommendation to ask residents of the Menlo Park City School District to pass a $23 million bond measure in November to pay for construction of a new school at the former O'Connor school site in Menlo Park. (Monday, June 10, 2013, 11:56 AM)

Woodside budget shows 'structural' surplus
The town of Woodside's proposed budget would raise salaries across the board, initiate contributions by staff to their retirement accounts, and end the town's obligation to pay retirees' health care premiums for life. (Monday, June 10, 2013, 11:54 AM)

Troop 206 honors three Eagle Scouts
Three local scouts -- Sean Smith, Sean McBirney, and Peter Bugos -- received their Eagle award from Troop 2006 at a Court of Honor held May 5 at St. Matthias Church in Redwood City. (Monday, June 10, 2013, 9:13 AM)

Today: 'Taste of Menlo Park'
The Rotary Club of Menlo Park is sponsoring its first annual "Taste of Menlo Park" from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at Menlo College. (Monday, June 10, 2013, 9:11 AM)

Sunday, June 9, 2013
'Secret' Apple store taking shape
Apple's newest and possibly grandest store, while still hidden from ground-level view by tall black sheeting, is taking shape on the west end of Stanford Shopping Center. (Sunday, June 9, 2013, 11:05 PM)

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