Short Takes Short Takes (December 22, 2004)

Oh, you shouldn't have

So those nice police officers gave you a parking ticket, but it wasn't the holiday surprise you were hoping for.

Fortunately, shoppers in downtown Menlo Park will be able to overstay their welcome in the two-hour parking zone during the holidays without getting a ticket. The ban on overnight parking will also not be enforced, which is good news for folks with guests.

The leniency lasts until January 3, when these parking rules will be enforced again, officers say.
The winds of change

Leaf blowers, with their piercing noise and dust, will soon be a memory on campuses of the Sequoia Union High School District, including Woodside and Menlo-Atherton high schools.

At its December 15 meeting, the district's governing board unanimously agreed to spend $64,400 for a new truck-mounted street sweeper, provided used equipment first be considered.
Can-o-rama

Bags and bags of canned goods -- about 84,000 items this year -- covered the floor of the multi-use room at Menlo-Atherton High School on Friday, December 17, in preparation for the big give-away to needy families within the M-A community the next day. About 1,000 M-A students participated in the collection drive.
Hometown juror

Besides being right in our backyard, the Scott Peterson trial had another local link. According to a variety of press sources, one of the jurors was from Menlo Park, a San Mateo County adoption worker named Kristy Lamore.

Unsurprisingly, given the media fracas surrounding the trial, Ms. Lamore did not respond to Almanac requests for an interview.

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