Send this story Print this story

Adjust text size

Briefs: Wednesday: Meeting on plastic bag ban

On Oct. 23, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to adopt a reusable bag ordinance. If approved, the ordinance can then be adopted by 24 participating cities such as Menlo Park. The City Council is expected to vote on the ban in January, according to staff.

The ban targets single-use bags, except those used by restaurants and for produce, and would implement a 10-cent fee for paper bags until Dec. 31, 2014, and then hike the fee to 25 cents per paper bag.

The first of two informational meetings about the ordinance starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center at 701 Laurel St. Another will be held in December.

Willow Road/101 interchange project

As if there's not enough civic activities this week, the California Department of Transportation and the county will host a scoping meeting Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Caltrans, in partnership with the county, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, proposes to reconstruct the U.S. 101 and Willow Road interchange. The redesign aims to "address deficiencies impacting motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians by eliminating traffic weaves and providing adequate space for vehicles to stack on freeway off-ramps," according to the agency.

The scoping meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Menlo Park Senior Center at 100 Terminal Ave.

Free to good home: cats and kittens

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is now waiving adoption fees for cats and kittens.

Previously the fees ranged from $50 to $95. The shelter spays or neuters all cats prior to adoption, vaccinates, screens health and behavior, and adds microchips.

The shelter currently has close to 80 cats and kittens looking for homes, with more held at the Coyote Point intake facility. "Our goal is to get a few hundred cats and kittens into new, permanent loving homes by Christmas," said spokesperson Scott Delucchi. "We will gladly trade adoption fees for those homes."

Go to phs-spca.org to download an adoption application and see a sampling of available cats. The new adoption center is at 1450 Rollins Road in Burlingame. It is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends.