Recent News
Sunday, August 18, 2019
From the fields to canvas
California's Salinas Valley, with its fertile fields and high yield of food crops, is known as the Salad Bowl of the World. Sarah Phillips Deen knew it for much of her 83 years of life as home.
Sunday, 9:11 AM | No comments yetSaturday, August 17, 2019
Menlo Park skydivers to be inducted into Hall of Fame
Alan Eustace and Deke Sonnichson, both of Menlo Park, hadn't known each other -- or of each other's skydiving achievement -- until they met recently at Cafe Borrone to speak to The Almanac.
Saturday, 7:41 AM | No comments yetFriday, August 16, 2019
Preparing for the worst
Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team Pesident Tom Prussing talks about disaster preparedness and how he became passionate about the topic.
Friday, 3:58 PM | No comments yetNew Menlo Park high school opens, but construction is ongoing
TIDE Academy, a new high school in Menlo Park, opened for the first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 14, but construction is ongoing because of project setbacks, according to school officials.
Friday, 11:25 AM | 5 commentsAnother Spare the Air alert issued as heat wave continues across Bay Area
Bay Area communities can expect another hot day Friday, which has led the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue a third consecutive Spare the Air alert this week.
Friday, 9:20 AM | No comments yetLocal home sales for the week of Aug. 5
A complete list of home sales on the Midpeninsula, where Woodside recorded the highest sale at $16,750,000 for a six-bedroom home on 8 acres, bordering Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.
Friday, 8:00 AM | No comments yetThursday, August 15, 2019
Menlo Park neighborhood hit with auto burglaries
Menlo Park police received reports of five auto burglaries that occurred in the same general vicinity during the early morning hours of Monday, Aug. 12.
Thursday, 1:57 PM | 4 commentsWoodside's electric duo
Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't Elon Musk, but Woodside residents Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning who first built the brand that ignited the electric vehicle revolution.
Thursday, 10:29 AM | No comments yetHeat advisory, Spare the Air alert in effect Thursday
A heat advisory that the National Weather Service issued remains in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday as temperatures climb to the 90s and 100s in parts of the Bay Area.
Thursday, 8:07 AM | No comments yetWednesday, August 14, 2019
Woodside: Teague Hill blaze caused by illegal campfire
An illegal campfire was the cause of a wildfire in the Teague Hill Open Space Preserve in Woodside that broke out early in the morning on Sunday, Aug. 11.
Wednesday, 5:12 PM | 4 commentsMenlo Park woman loses $25K in phone scam
A Menlo Park woman was apparently the victim of a phone scam when she mailed $25,000 to an address in New York because she was told it was needed to bail her son out of a Mexican jail, according to the Menlo Park police.
Wednesday, 11:53 AM | No comments yetWoodside council rules on Menlo Country Club noise ruckus
Debbie Mendelson bought her home on Sheridan Way in Woodside more than 30 years ago, but she says it wasn't until after she moved in that she discovered she had a large and noisy next-door neighbor in the Menlo Country Club.
Wednesday, 10:57 AM | 14 commentsPortola Valley school district to discuss possible parcel tax renewal
As Portola Valley students begin to file into classrooms next week for the start of the school year, school board members will explore renewal of a parcel tax that district officials say is necessary to keep current programs afloat.
Wednesday, 10:50 AM | 2 commentsStanford Blood Center sounds the call for donations
Stanford Blood Center is in urgent need of blood donations due to a critically low inventory of blood products resulting from a drop in donations over the summer and a higher than normal need.
Wednesday, 8:11 AM | No comments yetTuesday, August 13, 2019
High temperatures in forecast prompts heat advisory for parts of the Bay Area
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Wednesday and Thursday for parts of the Bay Area.
Tuesday, 9:17 PM | No comments yetSecond straight Spare the Air alert issued for Wednesday
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued another Spare the Air alert for Wednesday because of unhealthy levels of smog expected in the region.
Tuesday, 9:05 PM | No comments yetCongresswoman Speier, Menlo Park council talk gun violence
Congresswoman Jackie Speier, whose congressional district includes a portion of Menlo Park and parts of Woodside, met with the Menlo Park City Council the morning of Aug. 9.
Tuesday, 3:10 PM | No comments yetSecond straight Spare the Air alert issued for Wednesday
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued another Spare the Air alert for Wednesday because of unhealthy levels of smog expected in the region.
Tuesday, 11:57 AM | No comments yetNot just horsing around
There was some serious equestrian talent on display during the six-day Menlo Charity Horse Show last week, with some 500 horses and their riders dazzling spectators as they vied for prizes in about 300 classes of competition.
Tuesday, 10:31 AM | No comments yetBay Area mayors call for Senate action on gun safety laws
More than 20 Bay Area mayors, including four on the Midpeninsula, are among 249 across the country who have signed a letter calling for action on gun violence legislation in the wake of recent mass shootings.
Tuesday, 8:31 AM | 10 commentsMonday, August 12, 2019
Spare the Air alert issued for Tuesday in Bay Area
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Spare the Air alert for Tuesday, the eighth of the summer season, because of unhealthy levels of smog in the region.
Monday, 4:36 PM | No comments yetDeadline extended for Portola Valley school board candidates
The deadline to pull papers to run for a seat on the Portola Valley School District board has been extended to Wednesday, Aug. 14, after one of the incumbents decided not to run for re-election.
Monday, 2:59 PM | No comments yetAlleged Safeway shoplifter who threatened employees arrested
Menlo Park police have arrested a 28-year-old man who allegedly threatened Safeway employees with a knife while shoplifting on Sunday night.
Monday, 12:04 PM | 2 commentsDonations needed for back-to-school program
The Ecumenical Hunger Program is sending out an urgent call for donations to its Back to School Program, which has unexpectedly lost a major source of funding to purchase clothing gift cards for kids in need.
Monday, 8:10 AM | No comments yetSunday, August 11, 2019
Crews extinguish vegetation fire near Woodside
San Mateo County Fire Department crews extinguished a vegetation fire off of Kings Mountain Road west of Woodside that broke out early Sunday morning, according to fire dispatch.
Sunday, 8:47 AM | No comments yetTwo arrested for DUI, two injured in series of crashes on U.S. 101
Two drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI and a woman suffered major head injuries as a result of a series of crashes on U.S. Highway 101 in Menlo Park early Sunday morning, according to a California Highway Patrol spokesman.
Sunday, 7:33 AM | 1 commentSamTrans to reduce day pass fares and shift payment systems
The SamTrans board has approved changes in some of the agency's fares to be more affordable for users.
Sunday, 7:30 AM | No comments yetSaturday, August 10, 2019
Peninsula festivals to offer free EV test drives
Free test drives of electric vehicles will be offered in August and September at four community festivals on the Peninsula.
Saturday, 9:20 PM | No comments yetRavenswood could embark on districtwide naming process
Community concern about losing East Palo Alto's recognition of Cesar Chavez with the phasing out of a middle school named after the civil rights activist could prompt the school district to re-evaluate all of its campus' names.
Saturday, 8:48 AM | 3 commentsFriday, August 9, 2019
Portola Valley sculptor visualizes the big picture
Portola Valley sculptor Roger White Stoller takes the shapes he finds in nature to create works that connect with viewers' imaginations, often because of the attention they attract due to their size and the familiarity of shape.
Friday, 3:28 PM | No comments yetWoman who embezzled charitable funds from Menlo Park insurance company to serve jail time
A 59-year-old Fremont resident was sentenced Aug. 7 to three months in county jail after pleading no contest to embezzling more than $26,000 from Farmers Insurance in Menlo Park.
Friday, 10:44 AM | 1 commentPortola Valley rape suspect convicted on all seven counts
A San Francisco man was found guilty by a jury in Redwood City on Thursday (Aug. 8) of the forcible rape of his girlfriend in an incident that took place in Portola Valley in June 2018.
Friday, 8:42 AM | No comments yetThursday, August 8, 2019
Appeals court says class action lawsuit against Facebook can proceed
A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled on Thursday (Aug. 8) that Facebook users in Illinois can proceed with a class action lawsuit challenging the social media company's use of facial recognition technology.
Thursday, 5:18 PM | 1 commentAs KIPP seeks to open new high school, school board expresses reservations
The national charter school organization KIPP is seeking to expand its presence in San Mateo County with a new high school that would serve about 650 students when fully enrolled.
Thursday, 3:55 PM | 3 commentsRep. Jackie Speier to hold meeting in Menlo Park Friday
Congresswoman Jackie Speier will hold a meeting on Friday, Aug. 9, in the Menlo Park City Hall conference room where she is expected to discuss local and federal issues with at least some members of the City Council.
Thursday, 11:13 AM | No comments yetGoods' prices rise faster than wages in the Bay Area
Living expenses outpaced wages over the 12 months ending in June in the San Jose-San Francisco Oakland metropolitan area, federal officials announced Wednesday (Aug. 7).
Thursday, 8:37 AM | No comments yetWednesday, August 7, 2019
Atherton, Menlo Park communities celebrate National Night Out
National Night Out brought neighborhoods together to meet local police and fire department staff on Tuesday evening, Aug. 6.
Wednesday, 5:54 PM | No comments yet'Village People' prepare to close up shop
Village Stationers, a family-owned stationery store with locations in Menlo Park and Los Altos, will be closing its doors on Aug. 17 after 53 years in business.
Wednesday, 5:16 PM | 9 commentsNew Portola Valley school superintendent focuses on parcel tax, curriculum and communication
Roberta Zarea has been getting to know the Portola Valley School District since she became its superintendent on July 1.
Wednesday, 11:49 AM | 2 commentsStanford visiting professor among latest Breakthrough Prize winners
Three physicists, including one with Stanford University ties, will share $3 million awarded at the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics ceremony in Mountain View in November for their 1976 theory of "supergravity."
Wednesday, 10:30 AM | No comments yetMenlo Park library launches new tutoring services
A new homework support center is on its way to the Belle Haven Library.
Wednesday, 7:39 AM | No comments yetTuesday, August 6, 2019
Peninsula beekeepers divided on the best way to fight a plague
It's not a matter of if but of when varroa mites will invade a beehive. But what should beekeepers do, if anything, to fight the invaders before they destroy a hive?
Tuesday, 3:35 PM | 1 commentFlorida man sentenced for mailing explosives to political figures
A Florida man was handed a 20-year sentence Monday after he pleaded guilty in March to 65 felonies for mailing 16 explosive devices across the country last October, including to some Bay Area and California political figures.
Tuesday, 11:47 AM | No comments yetSamaritan House opens Menlo Park location
Samaritan House, a San Mateo-based nonprofit that serves residents in need, has opened a new satellite location at 871 Hamilton Ave.
Tuesday, 10:54 AM | No comments yetGrand jury calls for new waste management plan
San Mateo County is running out of dump space. Ox Mountain, the county's sole landfill, will reach capacity in just 15 years, according to a new report from the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury.
Tuesday, 8:39 AM | No comments yetMonday, August 5, 2019
Stanford Inn redevelopment moves forward
Plans to redevelop the 82-year-old Stanford Inn at 115 El Camino Real appear to be headed in a direction favorable to the Menlo Park Planning Commission, following a discussion on the proposal July 29.
Monday, 2:56 PM | 8 commentsFire district awarded grant for wildfire prevention work
The Woodside Fire Protection District has taken wildfire prevention into its own hands by obtaining a $100,000 grant to remove underbrush and invasive plants in the 626-acre Teague Hill Open Space Preserve in Woodside.
Monday, 10:13 AM | No comments yet
All your news. All in one place. Every day.
After 39 years of cakes and pastries, Palo Alto institution Prolific Oven to close
By Elena Kadvany | 55 comments | 16,658 views
What is your climate personality?
By Sherry Listgarten | 35 comments | 1,912 views
The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Process Explained
By Steve Levy | 5 comments | 1,245 views
"You Gotta Have Balls [to do counseling] . . .
By Chandrama Anderson | 0 comments | 897 views
How to end the summer
By Cheryl Bac | 0 comments | 630 views
Early Bird rates end today!
On Friday, October 11, join us at the Palo Alto Baylands for a 5K walk, 5K run, 10K run or half marathon! All proceeds benefit local nonprofits serving children and families. Early Bird prices end Sun, Aug 18.
