Send this story Print this story

Adjust text size

Briefs: Carol McClelland to talk on green careers

Carol McClelland, co-chair of Menlo Park's Green Ribbon Citizens' Committee, will speak at Kepler's bookstore at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, about an installment she has written in "...for Dummies" series.

"Green Careers for Dummies" "explores the green frontier of careers and shows you how to find a field that is best suited to your primary interests, skills, and goals," according to a Kepler's press release.

Ms. McClelland founded Green Career Central, and worked as a consultant, helping people to make career transitions.

Rector's installed at Trinity Church

The Rev. Matthew Dutton-Gillett was installed as rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in ceremonies held Jan. 30 at the church, 330 Ravenswood Ave. in Menlo Park. The Right Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Episcopal Bishop of California, presided.

The Rev. Dr. Carl R. Gillett, retired United Church of Christ minister and father of the new rector, gave the sermon. A reception followed the service.

The Rev. Dutton-Gillett is a graduate of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and holds a master of divinity degree. Ordained a priest in 1992, he came to Trinity Parish in August 2009.

He is married to Kate Dutton-Gillett. The couple has two children, Madeline and Max.

Project Read fundraiser

Menlo Park's Cafe Zoe will hold a fundraiser Friday, Feb. 5, for Project Read, a city-sponsored adult literacy program.

The fundraiser is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the cafe, located at 1929 Menalto Ave. in the Willows neighborhood. "Retro-revival" songwriter Chris Jones will perform, as will Monsters are not Myths, a rock, folk, and blues group with "an insatiable appetite for the ridiculous," according to the cafe.

A quarter of all sales during those two hours will go to Project Read.

Apply to own Habitat home

Families interested in applying to live in a three-bedroom Menlo Park home renovated by Habitat for Humanity can attend an information session Saturday, Feb. 6, or Monday, Feb. 8.

The project to renovate the home is part of a program to buy foreclosed homes in Menlo Park's Belle Haven neighborhood. The city of Menlo Park contributes to the program through its below-market-rate housing fund.

Both sessions will be held in the Menlo Park Senior Center, at the end of Terminal Ave. in Belle Haven. The session Saturday, Feb. 6 will run from 10 a.m. to noon. The session Monday, Feb. 8 will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Interested families must attend one of the sessions in order to receive an application.

Applicants must either live or work in Menlo Park. Eligible families must have an income of between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income. For a family of four, that would range from $45,250 to $67,860, according to Habitat spokeswoman Jennifer Doettling.

For more information, call (415) 625-1010.

Mark Macy appeal: help animals of Haiti

Mark Macy, owner of the Pet Place in Menlo Park, is appealing for people to help the animals of Haiti, as well as the people.

He says millions of animals, from livestock to dogs, cats and other companion animals, are homeless, sick, starving, injured, and frightened.

For more information on how to help, enter this in your search engine: World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Cafe Scientifique examines water crisis

California has many pressing issues, but one surely at or near the top of the list is the reliability of its water supply.

The ecosystem depends on it, of course, but so do the huge farming, industrial and residential communities in a state with seasonal rainfall and glaciers and snow packs, summertime water banks essentially, that are shrinking as the planet warms.

"Facing Scarcity: The Water Crisis in California" is the topic for February's Cafe Scientifique presentation at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, with speaker Richard Luthy, a civil engineering professor at Stanford University.

The program will be held at the SRI International Building at Middlefield Road and Ringwood Avenue. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. and close when the room reaches capacity.

Mr. Luthy has chaired the National Research Council's Water Science and Technology Board and is former president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors.

Cafe Scientifique, sponsored by the pharmaceutical firm ROXRO PHARMA and SRI, is a monthly meeting where the public can explore and debate scientific and technological issues in a non-academic setting.

Go to www.cafescisv.org for more information.

SamTrans hikes fares

SamTrans hikes its fares beginning Monday, Feb. 1.

The fare increases are aimed at narrowing a $28.4-million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year, according to spokeswoman Christine Dunn. Service cuts to help cover the gap went into effect in December. The agency is also relying on attrition to balance the budget, she said.

The adult local fare will increase from $1.75 to $2. The express cash one-way fare will increase from $4.50 to $5. Eligible discount fares will increase from $.75 to $1, and youth fares will go from $1 to $1.25.

The cost of monthly passes and express passes are also increasing, according to Ms. Dunn. On July 1, paratransit and lifeline fares will also jump, she said.

This represents the second time in the past year that fares have increased. Passenger fares cover 18 percent of operational costs, according to Ms. Dunn.

For more information, visit samtrans.com.