TCV 2011-12-27 by Tri-City Voice

Renegade women looking good on the hardwood

Improv Comedy Theatre offers New Year’s Eve show

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Ken Hansen selected as Police Officer of the Year

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The newspaper for the new millennium

510-494-1999

tricityvoice@aol.com

Vol. 10 No. 103

December 27, 2011

www.tricityvoice.com

a male and female monarch butterfly is that the female has darker black veins than the male, and the male is larger in size. Although it is a six-footed insect, only four can be seen so naturalists refer to them as a four-footed. These particular butterflies have a lifespan of up to ten weeks although the “super generation” of monarch butterflies, born in the fall, can live six to eight months. Monarch butterflies need to live in at least a 55 degree temperature in order to survive, be active and fly. During their mating time, the butterflies search for nectar from flowers in order to gain nourishment and rejuvenation. Female monarchs begin laying eggs the first time they mate, and during their lifetime can lay between 100-300 eggs. All eggs are deposited on milkweed. Milkweed is poisonous for other insects and species; therefore butterflies have an advantage in making it their home, ensuring protection from dangerous species and threats such as birds and snakes.

BY ISABELLA OHLMEYER

ly into 2012 by viewing over 4,000 beautiful monarch butterflies during the New Year's Day Butterfly Walk on January 1 at Ardenwood Historic Farm. Each year Monarch butterflies migrate to the East Bay to escape freezing temperatures and winter storms in the North, and create a wonderful viewing opportunity for locals. Monarch butterflies are known for their black and orange markings and distinctive white dots on their wings. The difference between

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Dartmouth archivist Peter Carini Peter stands next to a full size Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, part of a special collection at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. The collection is from the estate of Robert May, a Dartmouth graduate who wrote the famous story in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign, and includes a list of other names he considered.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

BY HOLLY RAMER ASSOCIATED PRESS HANOVER, N.H. (AP), You know Dasher and Dancer and the rest of the gang. But do you recall, the most “Perfect Christmas Crowd-Bringer” of all? That's how executives at Montgomery Ward originally described Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who first appeared in a 1939 book written by one of the company's advertising copywriters and given free to children as a way to drive traffic to the stores. Curious to know more about how Rudolph really went down in history? It's all in the pages of a long-overlooked scrapbook compiled by the story's author, Robert L. May, and housed at his alma mater, Dartmouth College. May donated his handwritten first draft and illustrated mock-up to Dartmouth before his death at age 71 in 1976, and his family later added to what has become a large collection of Rudolph-related documents and merchandise, including a life-sized papier-mache reindeer that now stands among the stacks at the Rauner Special Collections Library. But May's scrapbook about the

PHOTOS BY BENNETT BAROUCH America’s irrepressible “bad boy” bursts into musical life when StarStruck Youth Performing Arts presents “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” at the Smith Center at Ohlone College in Fremont, January 6-22. “Tom Sawyer, the musical, is full of humor, danger and excitement,” said Lori Stokes, StarStruck’s artistic director. “I believe it is a ‘hidden treasure’ of a show that deserves its day in the spotlight, and I am thrilled to be able to introduce the stage version of this classic story to a new audience—especially the next generation of young people.” As in Mark Twain’s timeless novel, Tom’s adventures take place in the 1840s in St. Petersburg, Missouri, a bustling town on the banks of the Mississippi River. True to Twain’s tale, the musical introduces us to 14-year-old Tom (played by Jacob Woll) and his world: tricking his friends into white-washing the fence, crossing swords with schoolmarm Ms. Dobbins, getting lost in McDougal’s Cave, and taking on the Reverend Sprague in church. He also matches wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love with the feisty Becky Thatcher, outsmarts his bratty half-brother Sid, meets the terrifying villain Injun Joe, and tests the bonds of friendship with that irresistible renegade Huckleberry Finn (played by Tim Sanders). continued on page 6

continued on page 28 INDEX Protective Services . . . . . . . . 8 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Arts & Entertainment . . . . . . 21

Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Public Notices. . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Bookmobile Schedule . . . . . . 29

It’s a date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Classified. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Mind Twisters . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Editorial/Opinion . . . . . . . . . 27

Life Cornerstones . . . . . . . . . 29 Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

Learn How You Can Make a DASH for Better Health During Free Seminar

r. Ash Jain, Medical Director of the Stroke Program at Washington Hospital, may be a leader in acute stroke care, but he would highly prefer not seeing you, or any other member of the community, as his next patient. Instead, he wants to see people preventing stroke before it happens. “A large percentage of strokes in our community could be prevented by identifying and controlling other disease processes such as hypertension and diabetes,” Dr. Jain notes. “Conditions like these play a significant role in stroke risk, so people need to look closely at these factors to make sure they’re doing all they can to prevent stroke.” On Tuesday, Jan. 3, Dr. Jain and Stroke Program Clinical Coordinator Doug Van Houten, R.N., will present the latest in Washington Hospital’s Stroke Education Series: “Stroke Prevention and Other Disease Processes/Healthy Lifestyle – Be Smart and Avoid Stroke.” “People often may not realize how things like high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes increase their risk of stroke,” Dr. Jain says. “The reality is that these factors contribute to athero-

High cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes can increase the risk of stroke. At an upcoming Stroke Education Series seminar at Washington Hospital, a physician and a registered nurse will explain how a number of diseases contribute to a higher risk of stroke. The free class will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3 in the Conrad E. Anderson, M.D. Auditorium located at 2500 Mowry Avenue (Washington West) in Fremont.To register, call Health Connection at (800) 963-7070 or visit www.whhs.com and click on “Upcoming Health Seminars.”

sclerosis, which can cause plaque. As plaque progresses and causes arterial blockage and decreased blood flow, it leads to cell death; or it can break off and block a smaller artery, which also can lead to cell death.” This cell death, he says, is seen as a symptom of stroke. And unfortunately, in the case of brain cells, which do not regenerate, their death from lack of oxygen carried by the blood may leave victims of stroke permanently disabled, particularly in cases when treatment is not sought immediately. To prevent stroke, Dr. Jain points out that there are a lot of things people can do, but the first priority is to figure out what your risk looks like now, so that you know where you have to improve. “The first step is for patients to make an appointment with their primary care physician to talk about all the risk factors,” he says. Primary care physicians may recommend changes to lifestyle, such as improving diet, incorporating exercise, and quitting smoking, but there are other factors that require medical intervention, according to Dr. Jain. “For conditions such as irregular heartbeat or atherosclerosis, these conditions need to be diag-

nosed by a physician and treated accordingly in order to manage them properly,” he points out. He reminds community members that stroke often occurs with no advance warning. Other times, warnings like transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)—which can cause a passing numbness and tingling—are not brought to the attention of the doctor because patients don’t realize how serious they are. Dr. Jain recommends that anyone age 50 and older with several risk factors for stroke, as well as those of any age who have irregular heartbeat, make sure to attend the upcoming seminar. Hit a home run with healthy lifestyle changes When it comes to stroke prevention, a good place to start is with your plate, according to Doug Van Houten, R.N., clinical coordinator of the Stroke Program. “During the upcoming seminar, I’ll spend some time talking about the DASH diet,” he says. “Often when I mention this, people will say, ‘You mean use Mrs. Dash?’ And, no, I’m actually talking about the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s Dietary Apcontinued on page 4

InHealth broadcasts on Comcast Channel 78 in Fremont, Newark and Union City and online at www.inhealth.tv The full schedule of InHealth programs listed below can also be viewed in real time on the Washington Hospital website, www.whhs.com

12:00 PM 12:00 AM 12:30 PM 12:30 AM

T U E S DAY

W E D N E S DAY

T H U R S DAY

F R I DAY

S AT U R DAY

S U N DAY

M O N DAY

12/27/11

12/28/11

12/29/11

12/30/11

12/31/11

01/01/12

01/02/12

Cancer Caregivers: Complementary Therapy

Important Immunizations for Healthy Adults

Strengthen Your Back! Learn to Improve Your Back Fitness

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Lower Back Disorders

Your Concerns InHealth: Senior Scam Prevention

Think Pink 2011

Voices InHealth: Healthy Pregnancy

Think Pink 2011

Washington Women's Center: Circulation 101 for Women - Part 1: Varicose Veins

Maintaining Heart Health with Diabetes

1:00 PM 1:00 AM

1:30 PM 1:30 AM

Diabetes Management: When to Call for Help

3:00 PM 3:00 AM

Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting December 14, 2011

Treatment Options for Knee Problems (NEW)

4:30 PM 4:30 AM

New Techniques to Treat Back Pain

Inside Washington Hospital: The Green Team

Oh My Aching Lower Back! Cough or Shortness of Breath, What to Do About It What You Should Know About Carbs and Food Labels

5:00 PM 5:00 AM

5:30 PM 5:30 AM

Skin Care and Prevention of Skin Cancer

Women's Health Conference: Skin Health From Infancy to Maturity

Healthy Nutrition for Your Heart Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting December 14, 2011

Diabetes Health Fair 2010: Diabetes and the Kidneys

3:30 PM 3:30 AM

4:00 PM 4:00 AM

Tips to Making Your Golden Years Healthier

Sepsis: Treatment of a Top 10 Killer

2:00 PM 2:00 AM

2:30 PM 2:30 AM

What Are Your Vital Signs Telling You?

Influenza and Other Learn About Nutrition for Contagious Respiratory a Healthy Life Conditions

Voices InHealth:The Greatest Gift of All

Cancer Caregivers: Panel Discussion

Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting December 14, 2011

Cataracts and Diabetic Eye Conditions Get Back On Your Feet: New Treatment Options for Ankle Conditions

Disaster Preparedness Are You at Risk for Diabetes? - Learn the Signs

Fitting Physical Activity Into Your Day

Heart Health for People with Diabetes

Planning Your California Advance Health Directive: Now is the Time

Do You Suffer From Breathing Problems? Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or Asthma

Washington Women's Center: Heart Healthy Foods

Voices InHealth: The Legacy Strength Training System

6:00 PM 6:00 AM

6:30 PM 6:30 AM

7:00 PM 7:00 AM

7:30 PM 7:30 AM

Diabetes Matters: Ins and Outs of Glucose Monitoring

9:00 PM 9:00 AM

Movement Disorders, Parkinson's Disease, Tremors and Epilepsy

10:30 PM 10:30 AM

Keys to Healthy Eyes

Your Concerns InHealth: Pediatric Care – The PreSchool Years

Men's Health Expo 2011

Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting December 14, 2011

Voices InHealth: Decisions in Cardiac Care

Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting December 14, 2011

Diabetes and Your Hormones Peripheral Vascular Disease: Leg Weakness, Symptoms and Treatment

Brain Health for Seniors Heart Irregularities

11:00 PM 11:00 AM

11:30 PM 11:30 AM

Hip Pain in the Young and Middle-Aged Adult Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting December 14, 2011

Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting December 14, 2011

Living with Heart Failure

9:30 PM 9:30 AM

10:00 PM 10:00 AM

Do You Suffer From Anxiety or Depression?

Inside Washington Hospital: Patient Safety

8:00 PM 8:00 AM

8:30 PM 8:30 AM

Living Well with Diabetes: Overcoming Challenges

Voices InHealth: Medicine Safety for Children

Kidney Disease

Inside Washington Hospital: Advances in Cardiac Care

World Kidney Day (Late Start) Learn Exercises to Help Lower Your Blood Pressure How to Prevent a Heart and Slow Your Heart Rate Attack

Cancer Caregivers: Mobilizing Resources

Learn About Foods That Help Your Digestive System Crohn's & Colitis, Stomach Cancer and Irritable Bowel Disorders Diabetes Matters:Vacation or Travel Plans? Obstructive Sleep Apnea (Late Start) Learn How to Access Community Services Quickly and Easily

Voices InHealth: New Surgical Options for Breast Cancer Treatment

Do You Have Sinus Problems? Financial Scams: How to Protect Yourself Heel Problems and Treatment Options

Inside Washington Hospital: Stroke Response Team

Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Inside Washington Hospital: Nutrition for People with Kidney Disease Pediatric Care George Mark Children's House - A New Way Voices InHealth: The Home Inside Washington Hospital: Legacy Strength Training Keys to Healthy Eyes Rapid Detection of MRSA System

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

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ver 600 community members attended the holiday treelighting ceremonies and Children’s Holiday Breakfast, in Fremont, Union City, and

Lonnie & Anna Robinson, R.K. Electric; Ronald McDonald; Juliann Foley, Gradetech, Inc: Mike Patel, Fremont Ford

Nancy Stewart; Mrs. Claus, Santa and Dr. Bernard Stewart, Second Vice President, Washington Township Health Care District Board

Newark as part of the 16th annual Trees of Angels campaign. Mark Bernardin, owner of several local McDonald's restaurants, and the Washington Hospital Healthcare Foundation work in partnership on Trees of Angels in the Tri-City area as part of a joint commitment to support local hospice care. The 2011 Trees of Angels events commenced with a treelighting ceremony on Monday, November 28, at the Bernardin Family McDonald's located on Mission Boulevard and 680 in Fremont. The Prince of Peace Hand Bell Ringers played holiday favorites and Fremont Mayor, Bob Wasserman threw the switch to light the tree. Two nights later, the Nakamura Clinic hosted a tree lighting ceremony Union City. The James Logan Jazz Singers entertained the crowd while Foundation Vice-President, Carol Dutra-Vernaci, lit the tree. A final tree lighting ceremony took place on a chilly night in Newark. Mayor-Elect Al Nagy was emcee as the Newark Memorial Advanced Choir engaged the crowd to join them in singing holiday favorites.

Mark and Gaby Bernardin, Bernadin Family McDonalds

The Children's Holiday Breakfast was held on Saturday, December 3 on the campus of Washington Hospital. More than 200 attendees enjoyed breakfast provided by the Bernardin Family McDonald's, as well as a magic

show from Ronald McDonald and a photo session with Santa and Mrs. Claus. "The Foundation would like to thank all those who volunteered their time to help make these events possible," said Angus

Dr. Bernard Stewart, Second Vice President, Washington Township Health Care District Board; Chief Demetrious Shaffer, Foundation President

Cochran, Executive Director of the Foundation. "Sponsors and donors generously contributed over $ 24,000 this year. Thank you to our sponsors and all who attended these festive holiday events."

If you would like to make a donation to Trees of Angels in support of local hospice care, please contact the Foundation office at (510) 791-3428 or email: foundation@whhs.com

Washington Hospital Healthcare Foundation would like to extend a warm thank you to the Trees of Angels Sponsors: BENEFACTOR R.K. Electric, Inc.

Niles Rotary Club, Fremont Rotary Club of Fremont

HARMONY Freed & Associates Fremont Bank Foundation Gonsalves & Kozachenko

STAR Gift Gallery Gerry Harrison Pan Pacific Bank Dolores Rose Rotary Club of Newark Washington Hospital Employees' Association Washington Outpatient Surgery Center

ANGEL Keith and Verna Krugman PHOTOGRAPHY Washington Township Medical Foundation DOVE John Frances Fremont Ford Gradetech Inc.

PRESENTING SPONSORS Washington Hospital Healthcare Foundation

The Bernardin Family McDonald's Restaurants

Washington Hospital Doctor Shares Medical Expertise as Board Member Dr. Dianne Martin knows firsthand how important it is for seniors to get the support they need to stay healthy. The majority of the patients the Fremont internist and member of the Washington Hospital medical staff sees are over age 65. As a member of the Board of Directors for LIFE ElderCare, she is able to use her skills and medical knowledge to help the organization improve the quality of life for local seniors. “I joined the board a few years ago because I wanted to get involved in a community organization that was making a difference in the lives of older adults,” Martin said. “I understand the issues seniors are facing, particularly from a medical standpoint.” LIFE ElderCare has been serving the Tri-City area for more than 35 years. The organization offers a number of services to help older adults live a good quality life as they age, including meals delivered to their homes, fall prevention, companionship, and transportation support. “The goal is to help seniors stay living independently in their own homes as long as possible,” said Mary Anderson, executive director of LIFE ElderCare. “We started with Meals on Wheels and grew from there.” She said her organization works under the belief that the goal is possible for many seniors with a little bit of help. As the population continues to grow older, helping seniors stay independent will be

more important than ever before, particularly in the Tri-City area. According to Anderson, the number of people in Fremont over age 60 has increased 30 percent in the last decade. Meals and More LIFE ElderCare’s Meals on Wheels program provides nutritious meals to homebound or frail seniors. Hot meals are delivered every day, Monday through Friday, and frozen meals are provided for weekends. “People who have diabetes or other health issues can get meals that fit their dietary requirements,” Martin said. “The program also tries to meet the needs of the diverse client base and provide ethnic foods that appeal to the people we serve.” In addition to providing food, the program also offers a daily wellness check by volunteers who deliver the meals. Sometimes the Meals on Wheels volunteer is the only person the senior has seen that day, Anderson said. "The demand for home-delivered meals continues to grow as evidenced during the past year alone,” she said. “Over 17,000 meals beyond contract expectations were delivered. The cost for these meals, however, was not budgeted and therefore the organization had to fundraise to make up the difference so that all seniors in need of a meal received one." Martin added: “If they need food, they get it, because eating a healthy diet is so important. Many of my patients tell me it’s

easier to pour a bowl of cereal than to make a hot meal. But they will stay healthier longer with better nutrition, and Meals on Wheels provides that.” Fall Prevention The Fall Prevention program also helps to keep older adults healthy. A certified fitness trainer works with seniors in their own home to create a personalized physical activity routine designed to build up their strength, improve balance and mobility, and reduce the risk of falls. “Falls are the fifth-leading cause of death for seniors and the number one reason a senior over age 65 goes into a nursing home,” Anderson said. “In addition to the exercise routine, we do a safety check in their home and suggest ways of making it safer. Maybe they could use a handrail to grab on to or a throw rug needs to be moved because it’s too easy to trip over.” The 12-week program includes weekly visits from a nursing student at Unitek College to answer questions and assess progress. Nursing students monitor seniors’ blood pressure and check their medication to see if any drug interactions could cause dizziness or other problems. “These nursing students play a major role in keeping seniors healthy,” Anderson said. Martin agreed, “One of my patients had been prescribed a medication by a different doctor, and one of the nursing

students brought it to my attention. The patient never mentioned it to me when we discussed medications. I would have had no other way of knowing about it.” Friendly Visitors A growing number of seniors are finding themselves alone and without a support network, Anderson said. LIFE ElderCare’s Friendly Visitors program provides companionship to seniors by matching volunteers with older adults who are isolated. Through weekly visits, phone calls, and outings, these volunteers offer companionship to seniors who are alone. Transportation is another challenge for many older adults. The VIP Rides program offers transportation to frail, homebound seniors who need more help than traditional paratransit services can offer. VIP Rides volunteers escort passengers all the way to their destinations, offering a steady hand to walk up steps or pushing their wheelchairs to medical appointments or other important errands. “We are always looking for volunteers who want to deliver meals, engage with older adults, or help them get where they need to be,” Martin said. “It’s a real opportunity to make a difference. Most people are fiercely protective of their independence as they age, and with the help of volunteers, LIFE ElderCare is making that possible for so many seniors.” For more information about LIFE ElderCare, contact Mary Anderson at (510) 574-2091 or visit www.lifeeldercare.org.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

continued from page 2

proaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), which can actually help change your blood chemistry a little bit so that sodium is replaced with potassium by eating vegetables.” High sodium intake is often linked to high blood pressure—or hypertension—particularly for individuals sensitive to it. And hypertension is considered by most medical experts to be one of the most significant factors in stroke risk. But dietary sodium doesn’t tell the whole story, according to Van Houten. “The basic idea behind the DASH is that you eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, focus on whole grain foods, lean protein, and low-fat dairy, and a very small amount of oils and even fewer sweets,” he says. “This approach is good for diabetes, heart health, and cancer prevention.” “I read today that one in four people will probably die of cancer. But the American Cancer Society says if you eat five to six servings of fruits and vegetables, you can reduce risk of any cancer by 50 percent.”

The message here, according to Van Houten, is that what you eat—along with other lifestyle factors like regular exercise and quitting smoking—can have an enormous impact on not only stroke risk, but also your overall health. “What you do to prevent hypertension, which is the main cause of stroke, gives you the added benefit of reducing all the ‘big hitters’ in chronic illness.” How you can avoid stroke To learn more about what you can do to decrease your risk of stroke, make sure to attend next Tuesday’s free stroke seminar focusing on prevention. The class will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 3 in the Conrad E. Anderson, M.D. Auditorium located at 2500 Mowry Avenue (Washington West) in Fremont. To register, call Health Connection at (800) 963-7070 or visit www.whhs.com and click on “Upcoming Health Seminars.”

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Visitors to Ardenwood can see monarchs clustered in the eucalyptus groves by participating in a guided trip or viewing them on their own. Monarch Hikes are a half-mile to the monarch grove; some geared toward children, while others are structured for adult interests with slideshows and interesting facts about the monarch butterflies and their migration during the winter season. Spotting scopes are provided in all the programs so people can get a close look at these insects and other species. On December 31 at 11 a.m., a special slideshow presentation will focus on the butterflies with a walk at 1:30 p.m. The New Year's Day Monarch Butterfly Walk will be at 11:30 a.m. with another walk at 1:30 p.m. Guided walks and programs for all ages continue through February 12. Come and learn about these beautiful creatures! Beginning January 1, 2012, there will be a one dollar increase in the Ardenwood Historic Farm admission fee. For adults, admission will be $3; for individuals ages 17 and under, $2; and ages four and under are free. For more information on this program and others held at the Ardenwood Historic Farm, call (510) 544-2797 or visit www.ebparks.org. Monarch Butterfly Walks Dec 31 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan 1 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. Visit the Monarchs Every Thursday and Friday in Jan 2 p.m. Every Saturday and Sunday in Jan 1:30 p.m. Meet the Monarchs Saturday, Jan 7, 21 and Sunday, Jan 15 and 29 11 a.m. – noon Monarchs for Kids Saturday, Jan 14, 28 and Sunday, Jan 8, 22 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. California Western Monarch Day Sunday, Feb 5 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Farewell to the Monarchs Sunday, Feb 12 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Ardenwood Historic Farm 34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont (510) 544-2797 www.ebparks.org

December 27, 2011

elebrate the New Year without the late hour: Chabot Space & Science Center is hosting their 12th annual New Year’s Eve Balloon Drop where kids can count down the arrival of the New Year around the world. Colorful balloons will drop at the magic hour and kids can catch them to win a special prize. Drop times are 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. Kids are divided into groups ages five and under, and ages six through twelve and will celebrate in the Rotunda and Discovery Lab. Space is limited and some times are already sold out. Register today to enjoy the festivities of New Year’s Eve and still make bedtime!

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

Tickets are $4 per child for members, and $4 per child plus General Admission ($15.95 adults, $11.95 youths 312) for guests. To register, call (510) 336-7373 or visit online at www.chabotspace.org/balloon-drop.htm. New Year’s Eve Balloon Drop Saturday, December 31 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Chabot Space & Science Center 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland (510) 336-7373 www.chabotspace.org/balloon-drop.htm Tickets: $4 (plus admission for non-members)

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

SUBMITTED BY JANICE MACKEY The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is currently seeking qualified hunter education volunteer instructors for its 2012 statewide education courses. “There’s a long legacy of hunting in this great state,” said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham. “At the department, we’re going to continue to seek ways to manage our resources for hunting and fishing as well as improve access and opportunity. But we need help in cultivating the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen who will step in our shoes once we have gone. We thank those that already volunteer to teach our hunter education courses, and we’re looking to recruit even more.” In 2009, approximately 30,000 students completed the state’s 10-hour minimum hunter education course. The courses are offered throughout the state, on weekends and weekday evenings. The courses are taught by veteran hunters who volunteer their time to help ensure that the newest generation of hunters has a thorough understanding of safety, ethics and conservation. “The backbone of California’s hunter education training effort rests on the volunteer instructors, who give their time, passion and energy to the program,” said Captain Roy Griffith, DFG’s Hunter Education Program Administrator. “These dedicated individuals have passed on a tradition and trained well over

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Filled with foot-stomping, toe-tapping songs by country songwriter Don Schlitz (of “The Gambler” fame) and a warm, funny book by Ken Ludwig (who also wrote “Crazy for You” and “Lend me a Tenor”), the show debuted on Broadway in 2001 and had a brief run before being made available to regional and community theatres. To produce the southern-style sound—a departure from StarStruck’s usual repertoire of traditional musicals—music director Nancy Godfrey conducts a band comprised of such instruments as banjo, mandolin, and fiddle. Choreography is by StarStruck’s Jeanne Batacan-Harper. The production features a cast of 55 youth. The show opens Friday, January 6, continuing every Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m., through January 22. ASL interpretation provided Friday, January 13. There will be a “Talk Back” audience Q&A with the cast on Friday, January 20. Tickets are $20 - $26 with discount nights January 13 and 20 (tickets $10-20). For tickets call (510) 659-1319, or book online: www.starstrucktheatre.org. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Jan 6 - 22 Jackson Theatre, Smith Center Ohlone College 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont (510) 659-1319 www.starstrucktheatre.org Tickets: $20 - $26

December 27, 2011

one million outdoor enthusiasts since the start of the program. As a result, they have increased safety and conservation within the community.” To become a hunter education instructor, applicants must meet the following requirements: • Be at least 18 years of age • Successfully complete the hunter education course prior to submitting an application • Have not have been convicted of any felony • Completed a course of study prior to taking a supervised examination covering the basic topics of hunter education. The testing process to become a certified instructor takes about two hours and applicants must score a minimum of 80 percent. After passing the exam, the volunteer will take an oath and work with an experienced instructor before leading their own class. To retain current Hunter Education Instruction (HEI) certification, an instructor must teach one class per year and attend one conference. More information on the requirements can be found www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/.

December 27, 2011

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

At 100 years old, an Ohio doctor is still in BY CLIFF RADEL THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

CINCINNATI (AP), The 100-year-old doctor still makes house calls. He must, explains Dr. Fred Goldman. That's where the patients are. “If they're sick and can't leave home,” he said, “I go to see them.” They came to see him Dec. 12. Patients, friends and family - some using walkers, some in strollers - gathered in numbers passing the century mark at the office he calls, “the dump,” to throw a surprise birthday party for the internist who is the oldest licensed physician practicing medicine in the state of Ohio. He surprised them. The guest of honor arrived 90 minutes early. “I almost had a heart attack seeing all of the people in the hall and the waiting room,” Goldman said between greeting well-wishers with a question about their health. How's your ankle? You still smoking? “People ask me why do you go to a doctor who's 100?” said Patti Levine, a fourth-generation patient of the doctor. “I tell them, because he's seen it all and he knows everything.” The Blue Ash woman stood by a stroller holding her 10-month-old daughter, Madyson. “She's not his patient,” Levine said, “yet.” Fellow physicians also gave birthday greetings to Goldman. “He asked me to come work for him in 2007,” said 85-year-old Dr. Leo Wayne. That's the year Wayne retired and Goldman, at the age of 96, cut back from five, eighthour days a week to three. “I told him I would not work for him,” Wayne added. “I'm too young.” Would he prescribe retirement for his older friend and colleague? “I would not dream of advising him to retire,” Wayne replied. “Dr. Goldman is an excellent diagnostician. He knows his patients, including himself. He knows this patient is still up to the task.” As the birthday doctor worked the waiting and the hallway, his guests peppered him with questions. How does it feel to be 100? He examined both of his hands. He squeezed one. Then, the other. “Don't feel anything different,” he said with a sly smile. “Most people my age,” he added, “can't feel anything. They're dead.” The crowd laughed. So, did the 100-yearold birthday boy. When Fred Goldman was literally a birthday boy, he was born on Dec. 12, 1911, at his family's home on Ninth Street in the West End. “My mother - a housewife - was from Poland. My father - a shopkeeper - was from Russia,” he said, “and I was from both of them.” On the day the good doctor was born, another native Cincinnatian, William Howard Taft, waddled about the White House as the 27th President of the United States. Czar Nicholas II sat on the throne in Russia. George V, Queen Elizabeth II's grandfather, reigned as the King of England. Sun Yat-Sen had just been elected the provisional president of China. Sigmund Freud was seeing patients in Vienna. “Hell, when I became a doctor in 1935,” Goldman said, “Freud was still seeing patients.” In 1911, Madame Curie won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. George Washington Carver was in the midst of developing 100 products from peanuts. Alexander Fleming was 17 years from discovering penicillin. Arizona voters had removed the last obstacle for their territory to become the 48th state. In baseball, the doctor's favorite sport as a kid, Ty Cobb won the 1911 American League batting title by hitting a robust .420. Goldman's hometown Cincinnati Reds finished sixth that year. The 1911 Reds lost 83 games, the same number of losses suffered by the Redlegs 100 years later in 2011. Goldman shares a birth year with the 40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan, comedian Lucille Ball, fellow Cincinnatian, Roy “King of the Cowboys” Rogers, Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Greenburg, the founder of Bluegrass Bill Monroe, legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, playwright Tennessee Williams, politician Hubert H. Humphrey and actresses Jean Harlow and Ginger Rogers. He has one thing going for him they don't. He's still alive. “Want to see the rest of the dump?'' he asked before leading visitors on a tour of his office. He sees 12 patients a day in his com-

puter-free suite. His schedule is set by hand by his sole employee, office manager Patti Heath. “I came to work here when he was 91,” she said. She thought she would be a short-timer. “Here I am nine years later. And he's still going strong. The first year I worked for him, I collapsed on a beach for my vacation. He hiked the wilderness in Alaska and lived in a tent. They don't make men like Fred Goldman anymore.” The century-old doctor's office overlooks Burnet Avenue, the former site of Jewish Hospital and the towers of University Hospital. When the latter was Cincinnati's General Hospital, he was making his rounds one day when he met, wooed and eventually wed Esther Nelson, a red-haired farm-girl turned nurse from Amelia. “She was tending to my patients,” he recalled. “And, she had her own ideas about things, which I admired. The best thing was she became the mother of our three kids, the best gifts she ever gave me.” One of his three sons, Tom Goldman, an audiologist at Jewish Hospital, joined the tour. He beamed at those words. “I was a little, shy guy when I first dated Tom's mom,” the doctor added. “I had never had a date with a woman before. This was around 1937. I asked her to go to dinner. She said, sure. I guess she was hungry.” They married the next year in Galveston, Texas, while he was teaching at the University of Texas. “We were married by a justice of the peace,” he recalled. “We stood in line with 30 drunken Mexicans who had just been arrested. The justice of the peace pushed me aside and asked if I had $25. I did. He married us right then and there with 30 drunken Mexicans as our witnesses.” Three years later, with America at war, the Goldmans returned to Cincinnati. He enlisted in the Navy. “They took me three months later and I got out of the Navy in 1946. I served in the Pacific,” he said. “I was in a unit with six docs and 20 corpsmen. We were sent wherever they had a battle.”' He tried to gloss over his service. He mentioned in passing the names of five bloody battles: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, Bougainville, New Guinea, Leyte Gulf. Sometimes, he said matter of factly, he went to the front. Sometimes the front came to him. His son produced a copy of a citation, signed by Adm. Chester Nimitz and awarded to Lt. Frederick M. Goldman, Medical Corps, “for meritorious service . . . on numerous occasions when the camp was subjected to Japanese bombing and shelling attacks, he left the comparative safety of his foxhole and proceeded to the aid of injured personnel.” Goldman shrugged his shoulders. “I saved some people,” he said with a wave of his hand. “That's what I was supposed to do.” He returned to his office tour. Next stop: His examining room. The birthday doctor pointed out the original art work on the wall. Every painting, every photo came from a patient. “These are paintings of scenes from Switzerland,” he said with sweep of his steady hands. “They're by a painter who just signed her works with her first name, Jenetta. She's dead now - as are most of my patients.” A wise-guy on the tour asked if that reflected poorly on his skills as a physician. Goldman grinned and explained: “I just outlived them.” Another party guest asked the centenarian tour guide for his secret to a long life. The doctor looked around the room. He spoke in a whisper as if he were giving directions to the Fountain of Youth. “I have no secrets,” he confided. “Haven't a clue why I've lived this long. Maybe it's because my office is a mess and I keep saying I'm going to clean it up. That keeps me going. That and it's in my genes. My mother died at 91. So did one of my brothers. Another brother died in his 80s. So did my sister.” He made a short list of his vices. He doesn't exercise. “I keep moving. That's my workout,” said the man who gave up cutting his grass two years ago. (He lives alone on a cattle farm in Bethel.) He stopped hiking the wilds of Alaska (“the place I love”) in 2007. That same year he quit cleaning his gutters “my balance was off. I still miss doing that.” He “never” smoked cigarettes. He “rarely” smoked a pipe. He “temporarily” smoked a Cuban cigar after dinner ``but then Castro took over Cuba. When Cuban quit (being a free county), I quit smoking.'' He has “no continued on page 23

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December 27, 2011

providing such information. Tri-City Voice does not make or imply any guarantee regarding the content of information received from authoritative sources.

Fremont Police Log SUBMITTED BY DET. WILLIAM VETERAN, FREMONT PD December 23 A woman reported that she had been battered by another woman at her residence on Broadmoor Common. The victim also reported that the suspect had a knife and threatened to cut her. Several officers responded to the scene. The suspect fled the scene prior to officers arriving. The suspect was known to the victim. Officer Stillitano will be conducting follow-up on the case. A large amount of wire was removed from the bridge connecting Cushing and Automall. CSI called in early to collect evidence left behind by crooks. An attempted burglary on Lake Ontario Drive was thwarted. Point of entry was dining room via window smash. No loss. Burglar was likely spooked by audible residential alarm. Investigated by Officer Soper and Field Training Officer R. Smith. A residential burglary was reported on Navajo Way. Point of entry was an unlocked office window. Loss was a laptop. Investigated by Officer M. Smith. Officers Bobbitt and Sanchez attempted to stop a male on a bicycle near the HUB Shopping Center. The male fled on the bicycle and was lost in the HUB. A few hours later, they saw the male again on Ross Common near Walnut Avenue. The male fled again, this time on foot, and was caught by Officer Bobbitt near the Target store. The suspect had an outstanding warrant and was on probation several times. He was arrested for a variety of charges and booked after being cleared at the hospital for complaint of pain.

Latest California homicide rate statistics SUBMITTED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE The California Department of Justice has released the annual “Homicide in California 2010” report which shows a 7.8 percent fall in the homicide rate per 100,000 in population compared to 2009. The total number of homicides dropped from 1,970 in 2009 to 1,809 in 2010. The homicide clearance rate, or percentage of reported crimes that have been solved, has increased for the fifth consecutive year. This year's rate of 63.8 percent is the highest since 2001. The "Homicide in California 2010" report details information about the crime of homicide and its victims, demographic data on persons arrested for homicide and information about the response of the criminal justice system. Also included is information on the death penalty, the number of peace officers killed in the line of duty and justifiable homicides. The report’s highlights include: 80.3 percent of homicide victims were male and 19.7 percent female. 44.5 percent of homicide victims were Hispanic, 29.6 percent were black, 18.2 percent were white and 7.4 percent were categorized as "other." Females were more likely to be killed in their residence, while males were more likely to be killed on streets or sidewalks. When the victim-offender relationship was identified, 44.4 percent (the largest proportion) involved victims who were killed by friends or acquaintances. However a greater percentage of black victims were killed by strangers than were white or Hispanic victims (47.7 vs. 25.4 and 35.4 percent, respectively). Of homicides, where the weapon was identified, the majority (71.2 percent) involved a firearm. Of the homicides where the contributing circumstances were known, 36.1 percent were gang-related. By the end of 2010, there were 709 persons under sentence of death in California. Of these, 34 were sentenced in 2010, 10 of which were in Los Angeles County. Four California peace officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2010. The “Homicide in California 2010” report can be viewed at www.oag.ca.gov.

Emergency services contract awarded to Alameda County Fire Department SUBMITTED BY AISHA KNOWLES Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) will continue to contract with the Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) to provide emergency services to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Alameda County was selected for award following completion of a competitive Request For Proposal. The resulting five-year contract will provide fire, medical and hazardous material emergency services to the Laboratory main site, its experimental test site, Site 300, located on the Alameda County Tracy border, and Sandia National Laboratories, CA, which is located on property adjacent to the Laboratory main site. “This contract allows the Laboratory and the county to continue to provide the high level of public service not only to LLNL but to surrounding communities,” said Alameda County Fire Chief Sheldon Gilbert. The new contract will begin in July. Alameda County has provided services to Lawrence Livermore since 2007, when Laboratory management transitioned from the University of California to LLNS, a private entity. LLNS manages Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. LLNS is comprised of: Bechtel National, the largest project management contractor in the United States; The University of California, the world’s pre-eminent public research university; Babcock & Wilcox and URS, the top two DOE nuclear facilities contractors; and Battelle, a global leader in science and technology and technology commercialization. The team also includes Texas A&M University, which provides programs in homeland security and national security. The ACFD is a full service fire department providing all risk response to the largest fire service response area in the county, covering more than 506 square miles of urban, suburban, San Francisco Bay and rural areas. The department is comprised of 33 fire companies and 28 stations that serve the unincorporated areas of Alameda County, the cities of San Leandro, Dublin, Newark and Union City and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Help make the community safer SUBMITTED BY HAYWARD FIRE DEPARTMENT Attend a free Community Defensible Space Training Workshop on January 7, 2012, and help make the community safer before the wildfire season. Hayward Fire Department has received a grant to improve wildfire safety around the Ward Creek Drainage and Fairview area. Over the next few months we shall ask neighbors to join us to make their neighborhoods a safer place from wildfire. The community defensible space grant will fund a defensible space training with follow-up work sessions to observe and question contractors as they implement key concepts at demonstration work sites; a planning session to identify and prioritize short- and long-term community fuel reduction projects; and provide funding for fuel reduction for priority projects and a chipping service for neighbors who do their own fuel removal work. Community members should bring their concerns and awareness of their neighborhood. Help identify areas of for wildfire hazard reduction. For questions, contact Deputy Chief Garrett Contreras at (510) 583-4950 or Cheryl Miller at (510) 536-0143. Community Defensible Space Training Workshop Saturday, Jan 7 10 a.m. - Noon Woodland Estates Community Association Clubhouse 2494 Oakes Drive, Hayward (510) 536-0143

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Child safety seat law will change January 1 SUBMITTED BY CHRIS COCHRAN The California Office of Traffic Safety is reminding parents, caregivers, and drivers to take note of a new law aimed at saving more lives and preventing more injuries of children across the state. Beginning January 1, children under age eight must be properly buckled into a car seat or booster seat, and in the back seat. In addition, children age eight or older who are not tall enough for the seat belt to fit properly must ride in a booster or car seat. Previously, the law required that children remain in a booster seat until the age of six or they weighed sixty pounds. “This is an important new law that will impact more than 1.1 million children in California,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Keeping them in booster seats increases their chance of surviving a crash by 45 percent.” A coalition of child traffic safety organizations, including the Office of Traffic Safety, California Department of Public Health, California Highway Patrol, Safe Kids California, local law enforcement, public health agencies and fire departments are working together to make sure all those who need this updated information will receive it. Hospitals, day care centers, pediatricians, and local community service organizations are just a few that will be targeted. “Although we know that placing children in age- and size-appropriate seats is the best way to reduce serious and fatal injuries, progressing children from rear-facing and forward-facing car seats to booster seats can be confusing,” added Dr. Ron Chapman, Director and State Health Officer, California Department of Public Health. “There is a Child Passenger Safety Coordinator available at your local public health department who can refer

you to a fitting station where you can learn how to properly install child safety seats in the family car.” The ticket price for violating this law is significant. For each child under 16 who is not properly secured, parents (if in the car) or the driver, can be ticketed for more than $475 and receive a violation point on their driving record. To save emptying your pocketbook or, more importantly, your child’s life, complying with the law should be inexpensive. Most children impacted by the new law can remain in the booster seat they already have. If it is necessary to buy a new one, low back boosters can be purchased at major retailers for $15 to $20 each. A booster simply “boosts” the child up in order to make the adult-sized belt safely fit a child-sized body. If the belt crosses the child's stomach instead of the hip bones, the child can be severely injured by the belt itself if involved in a collision. A child fits an adult seat belt when: • They can sit against the vehicle seat back with their knees bent without slouching and can comfortably stay in this position throughout the trip • The lap belt is low on the hips touching the upper thighs and • The shoulder belt crosses the chest, but is not on the face or neck • Never let your child put the shoulder belt behind their arm or back. In a crash, the child could sustain major injuries including head and spinal cord injuries. If the child is putting the shoulder belt behind them, this is a sign that they still need a booster For more information about car seats, the new law or help in determining if your child still needs a booster seat, call your local health department or visit www.cdph.ca.gov/vosp or http://www.ots.ca.gov/Child_Passenger_Safety.asp

Carjacking suspect at-large SUBMITTED BY OFFICER MARK DOYLE, MILPITAS PD On the evening of December 7, 2011, a car was stolen from its owner at gunpoint in Milpitas. The Milpitas Police Department has been actively investigating the case since it occurred. Jarek Brown is the primary suspect in this case. On the morning of December 20th, at approx. 8:40 a.m., Milpitas Police Department Detectives and a local Fugitive Task Force were in San Jose and located Brown near Capitol Expressway and US 101. Brown fled in a vehicle resulting in a brief police vehicle pursuit. The suspect lost control of his vehicle and fled on foot in the area of Seven Trees Boulevard. No one was injured during the pursuit. Milpitas Police Detectives requested assistance from the San Jose Police Department and the San Jose Police Department organized the search for Brown. Brown is still outstanding and the investigation is on-going. Brown is considered armed and dangerous. If any citizen sees Brown, call 9-1-1 immediately. Anyone with additional information regarding this

case may call MPD at 586- 2400. Information can be given anonymously by calling (408) 586-2500 or via the Milpitas Police Department website at:http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/government/police/crime_tip.asp.

Jarek Brown Suspect in Carjacking

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BY CONNIE CASS ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP), Why do kids believe a chubby guy in a flying sleigh can deliver joy across America? Because their parents do. A whopping 84 percent of grown-ups were once children who trusted in Santa's magic, and lots cling to it still. Things are changing fast these days, with toddlers wishing for iPads, grade schoolers emailing their Christmas lists and moms wrestling over bargain toys at midnight sales. Despite all the pressures on the rituals of the season, an AP-GfK poll confirms that families are sticking by old St. Nick. “It's important for kids to have something to believe in,”says great-grandmother Wanda Smith of Norman, Okla. And so they do. Year after year, Santa Claus survives the scoffers and the Scrooges and the 6-yearold playground skeptics. He endures belittling commercials that portray him shopping at Target or taking directions from an iPhone. He shrugs off scolds who say his bagful of toys overshadows the reason for the season. Two-thirds of parents with kids under 18 say Santa's an important part of their celebrations this year. Moms, especially, have a soft spot for the man in red - 71 percent of them say he's important, and that's a big jump from 58 percent just five years ago. His overall popularity is up slightly from an AP-AOL poll in 2006, before the recession hit. In these bleaker times of homes lost to foreclosure and parents sweating out their next paychecks, the poll shows Santa riding high with families both wealthy and poor. Maybe that's because the big guy's always known how to stretch a dollar to make a kid smile. Smith, whose childhood gifts were mostly handmade by her mother - things like cookies and

December 27, 2011

knit scarves - remembers that every year Santa Claus managed to put one present under the tree for her to share with her two brothers (four more siblings came later). “One year it was a bicycle, one year we had a sled. One year we got a puppy - his name was Jack and he was a border collie,” recalls Smith, now 70. “We didn't have a lot,” she said, “but we didn't know it. Our mother and daddy made it a wonderful time for us.” In multicultural America, Father Christmas isn't just for Christians any more. Threefourths of non-Christian adults say they believed in Santa when they were children. And half feel he's important to their holiday celebrations now. Developmental psychologist Cyndy Scheibe, who's been interviewing kids about Santa since 1986, said lots of Jewish children told her that Santa Claus was real, even though he didn't stop at their houses on Christmas Eve. And many non-Christian parents embrace Santa because they see Christmas serving as a secular as well as religious holiday in the U.S., she said. “Santa Claus is more than someone who just comes and gives you a present, it's this whole spirit of giving and magic that you get to be a part of and celebrate,” said Scheibe, an associate professor at Ithaca College in New York. That's what keeps Santa going over the decades and across cultures, she said. ``That, and there's almost nothing as much fun as getting to see your kid's face so completely excited.'' Scheibe knows firsthand. She used to climb a ladder to the roof every Christmas, her daughter watching, to leave a key tied to a big red bow, because they didn't have a fireplace. It's not all snowflakes and mistletoe in Santaland, however. Even among Christians, there's

BY DINESH RAMDE ASSOCIATED PRESS MILWAUKEE (AP), Dec 23 _ Gaudy Christmas sweaters have become all the rage. Ugly-Christmas-sweater parties are so popular that U.S. thrift stores and specialty retailers are making sure the kitschy clothing is in stock, and entrepreneurs are cashing in on a trend that evokes an awkward Colin Firth in the “Bridget Jones” films. Jack McCarthy, 17, and his sister sell sweaters scavenged from thrift stores and yard sales for anywhere from $19 to $45 on UltimateUglyChristmas.com. “People just seem to love outdoing each other in ugliness,'' McCarthy said. “The key is, you want something that's tacky in a good way. You don't want ugly like boring, you want something like a piece of art. “Like it might be a good Christmas decoration, but once you put it on yourself that's where it becomes ugly.” Some people speculate that loud sweaters evoke fond memories of holidays past. Others say it's just an expression of holiday cheer. Bright and mismatched colors are a plus, as are sequins, beads and fringes. But the clincher is

tension about how big a role, if any, a jolly old elf deserves in the celebration of Christ's birth. Almost half of Americans polled said Santa detracts from the religious significance of Christmas more than he enhances it. When she was growing up, Naomi Stenberg's fundamentalist Baptist parents didn't want her mixed up with Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny or Halloween trickor-treating. “I didn't understand why everybody else got to believe in Santa, and me and my brother didn't,” says Stenberg, 32, now a stay-at-home mom in Baxter, Minn. “I felt left out.” Her own three children have gotten the full Kris Kringle experience, but sometimes she feels ill-equipped to handle the tough queries from her youngest, 6year-old Rylen. “She's been asking questions like how does Santa fit through the chimney,'' she said. “I don't know how to answer things like that.” Matt Hoyt vividly remembers seeing Santa's black boots peeking out from behind his bedroom curtains when he was a boy. He froze. “I was just trying to pretend to be asleep,” Hoyt said, “so I'd get my presents.” Only much later did he realize those were probably the black shoes of his dad, hanging his new “Star Wars” drapes. Now Hoyt, a 35-year-old computer engineer from Houston, is awaiting the birth of his first child in April, and wondering how long that child will believe. In the poll, the median age when adults said they outgrew Santa was 8. Hoyt suspects his child's generation will turn away even earlier. After all, ``They've got Google at their fingertips.'' But Santa needn't worry. They'll come back someday ... when they're parents. The Associated Press-GfK Poll was conducted Dec. 8-12 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. --AP Deputy Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report. --Online: http://www.apgfkpoll.com

graphics _ winter scenes busy and intricate enough to make the viewer cringe. Emily Bell scoured thrift stores with one strategy: If a garment could be called tasteful, it wasn't good enough. For less than $10, she bought a blue blazer covered in oversized stars, trees and snowmen, along with a bright red sweater showing a Christmas tree trimmed with bulbous red ornaments. “Everyone was horrified and amused,” Bell said of partygoers who awarded her the top prize. Jennifer Rogalin manages Ragstock, a specialtyclothing store. She said a lot of their holiday items are attractive, but so many people ask for ugly sweaters that the store now advertises them that way. Ritter suggested the ugly-sweater craze gets a boost from social media, as more people tweet about ugly-sweater parties and post the pictures on Facebook. “Ugly sweaters” has been a popular trend on Twitter this week. Clarissa Trujillo, 30, and her husband sold more than 3,000 sweaters through their UglySweaterStore.com this year, Trujillo said. “I knew we were on the verge of a growing trend, but I can't tell you how insane it's been since then,” she said.

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Janell Myhre to serve as director of emergency services SUBMITTED BY GWENDOLYN MITCHELL/LAUREL ANDERSON Janell Myhre has been tapped to manage the County of Santa Clara Office of Emergency Services. Myhre, who currently serves as the Regional and Local Catastrophic Writer and Emergency Services Plan Coordinator for Marin County, has over 10 years experience in public safety and emergency management with regional and local government jurisdictions and organizations. She has strong emergency management working relationships throughout the State and possesses significant knowledge in emergency planning, exercises, staff training and disaster management for local and regional governments. Previously, Myhre worked with six Marin County Coastal Fire Departments and the Marin County Office of Education coordinating local and community efforts to respond in a disaster. “Myhre’s range of experience both planning for and responding to disasters makes her an ideal choice to serve as Director of the County’s Office of Emergency Services,” said County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith. “She is respected in the field of emergency management and understands the nuances of federal and state coordination requirements.” Myhre, who is pursuing certification after successfully passing the Certified Emergency

Manager (CEM) test, serves as Vice President of the California Emergency Services Association (CESA) Coastal Chapter. She also sits on the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Advisory Board as an alternate for the California Emergency Management Agency Mutual Aid Regional Advisory Committee (MARAC) Coastal Chapter. Myhre is the primary author of the nation’s first oil spill volunteer plan (NonWildlife Volunteer Plan), used in the Deep Water Horizon incident and now being considered for adoption in six states. She was the Exercise Director and Incident Commander of the first post-Cosco Busan oil spill full scale functional exercise, testing and validating unique swift water oil spill strategies at Bolinas Lagoon. Myhre stewarded the development, validation and adoption of the Local Government On Scene Coordinator policy to the San Francisco Bay and Delta Area Contingency Plan. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to join Santa Clara County’s Office of Emergency Services and look forward to working with the staff, stakeholders and our emergency and disaster response partners in the region,” said Myhre. Myhre’s appointment is effective January 2, 2012. Her annual salary will be $108,879.

Odd news keeps New Englanders laughing, thinking BY MARK PRATT ASSOCIATED PRESS BOSTON (AP), Dec 22 - Unlucky and stupid criminals, natural oddities, strange quests and weird accomplishments may not be earth-shattering news, but they all grabbed headlines across New England in 2011, providing comic relief and touching moments to the tragic and serious news of the year. Given their nationwide reach, it's not surprising that a new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor drew chuckles from some and condemnation from others. The Vermont ice cream maker in September introduced a flavor called ``Schweddy Balls,'' named for a 13-year-old ``Saturday Night Live'' skit starring actor Alec Baldwin. The vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum that also contained fudge-covered rum balls and milk chocolate malt balls was not sold in some grocery stores because of the doubleentendre name, but a Ben & Jerry's spokeswoman said enough people found the name funny enough to make it company's most popular limited-edition flavor. Not many people were amused by a magic trick performed by the chairman of the Abington, Mass.,1 school committee right before a televised meeting in September. Russell FitzGerald is an amateur magician who was known to open meetings with a trick. But he may have gone too far when he and an unwitting accomplice made it appear as if they had ripped the bra off a female board member. Rather than getting a laugh, the trick was met with embarrassed silence. FitzGerald resigned several days later, acknowledging that the trick played a part. Some of the oddest stories were not necessarily funny, but touching. One such case actually happened in Hawaii, but involved two Massachusetts men. Rick Hill of Lunenburg was walking on Waikiki Beach in April while on vacation with family when Joe Parker, who works at a local hotel, offered to take a picture. Parker recognized the Massachusetts accent and said he used to live in Leominster, right next to Lunenburg. They started comparing notes, seeing if they knew anyone in common. Parker asked Hill if he knew the late Dickie Halligan. It turned out Halligan was both men's father. They were half brothers who had never met. A two-faced cat in Massachusetts was celebrated in August for its long life. Frank and Louie was born with two faces, two mouths, two noses, three eyes - and lots of doubts about his future. He wasn't expected to survive when he was adopted as a kitten 12 years ago by Marty Stevens. But the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat is not only thriving, but made it into the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records as the longest-surviving Janus cat, named for a Roman god with two faces. New England had its share of not-so-bright criminals in 2011. In Farmington, Conn., a man called 911 to ask a dispatcher how much trouble he could get into by growing one marijuana plant. He was told he could get arrested. He said thank you and hung up. Police later went to the man's home and charged him with being in possession of marijuana. In Massachusetts, a jewelry entrepreneur picked the wrong mark in his effort to sell fake gold jewelry inside a Randolph grocery store. The man approached William Pace and offered to sell him a bracelet and chain marked as 14 karat gold for $100. Pace, who was out of uniform, is not only Randolph's police chief, he owns a jewelry store and knew continued on page 21

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

GOP's struggle on taxes gives Dems hope BY CHARLES BABINGTON ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP), Dec 22 - For all his problems with the economy, President Barack Obama is getting unexpected help from a Republican Party that seems incapable of capitalizing on its advantages. Congressional Republicans' fumbling of the payroll tax extension issue is the latest example of party infighting and disarray that gives Democrats hope for the 2012 elections. GOP presidential contenders tried to distance themselves from the legislative mess. But they might be tarred nonetheless if swing voters decide the party is either inept at governing or too extreme. The eventual GOP presidential nominee ``will be somewhat shackled to the Republican brand,'' said Democratic strategist Erik Smith, even if it was Republicans in Congress who led the charge in an unpopular fight over the payroll tax. He said GOP House and Senate candidates will face even more problems. The Wall Street Journal editorial page - an important voice among conservatives - berated Republican lawmakers for their handling of the payroll tax matter. Obama wanted to add another year to this year's reduction in the tax, which nearly all workers pay toward Social Security. Senate Republicans, after forcing Democrats to swallow several unrelated concessions, joined in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote to approve only a two-month tax cut extension, with plans to revisit the issue next year. House Republicans, who generally disliked the payroll tax cut from the start, refused to concur early this week. But House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday bowed to relentless criticism from conservative bloggers and several GOP senators and cleared a path for passing a bill Friday to renew the brek for two months while congressional negotiators work on a longer-term measure. If Congress doesn't act in the next 10 days, the payroll tax rate will return to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1, after one year at 4.2 percent. That would cost a family making $50,000 about $1,000. Republican congressional leaders' actions “might end up re-electing the president before the 2012 campaign even begins in earnest,” the Journal's editorial page said Wednesday. Democrats point to episodes like the payroll tax fuss and say congressional Republicans are essentially controlled by tea party activists, whose tax and spending agendas are outside the political mainstream. “Tea Party Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill to extend President Obama's payroll tax cut,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a fundraising email Tuesday, minutes after a key House vote. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters, “The tea party tail is wagging the elephant.” Democratic strategists hope to remind voters of last summer's near-calamity over raising the limit on the federal debt ceiling. Then, as now, Boehner struggled to control his GOP caucus and to calculate which bills can and cannot pass. These Democrats want to paint the Republican Party as an out-of-touch institution that would rather stand for rigidly conservative principles than solve the nation's problems.

Tax cut lives: Congress gives last-minute approval BY ANDREW TAYLOR ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP), Dec 23 - After weeks of bickering and doubt, Congress delivered a last-minute holiday tax cut extension to 160 million American workers Friday along with further unemployment benefits for millions laid off in the nation's fierce recession and weak economic recovery. It was a convincing victory for President Barack Obama, a humbling retreat for House Republicans. Obama quickly signed the legislation, declaring it was “some good news just in the nick of time for the holidays.” But he added that serious and difficult work lay ahead for Congress and the administration after the break for Christmas and New Year's. Back-to-back voice vote approvals of the two-month special measure by the Senate and House came in mere seconds with no debate, just days after House Republican leaders had insisted that full-blown negotiations on a yearlong bill were the only way to prevent an immediate tax increase on Jan. 1. Most members of Congress were already gone for the holidays, leaving behind just a few legislators to take formal action. Obama was leaving in the afternoon for a delayed vacation in Hawaii. Obama called the congressional action “some good news just in the nick of time for the holidays” but also said there was serious work ahead next year and urged lawmakers to seal agreement on a fullyear measure “without drama, without delay.” The measure passed despite lingering grumbling from tea party Republicans. It buys time for talks early next year on how to finance the year-long extensions. It will keep in place a 2 percentage point cut in the payroll tax - a salary boost of about $20 a week for an average worker making $50,000 a year - and prevent almost 2 million unemployed people from losing jobless benefits averaging $300 a week. Senate and House Republican leaders did gain a major win last week, winning a provision that would require Obama to make a swift decision on whether to approve construction of the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline. To stop construction, Obama, who had wanted to put the decision off until after the 2012 election, would have to declare that it was not in the nation's interest.

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High-speed rail officials concede jobs inflated AP WIRE SERVICE SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP), Dec 23 - California's high-speed rail officials backed off Friday on claims that the proposed construction of a bullet train between San Francisco and Los Angeles would create more than a million jobs. The California High-Speed Rail Authority acknowledged that its definition of jobs has been “imprecise and potentially confusing,” the San Jose Mercury News (http://bit.ly/t3z4qe) reported. The officials were responding to an investigation by the Mercury News that determined the jobs figure does not accurately refer to the number of workers on construction or spinoff jobs. It instead refers to ``jobyears,'' in which a person working for 10 years represents 10 job years, not 10 jobs. Project officials vowed to make it clear that far fewer people will get jobs than they previously implied, saying now the project will create “thousands and thousands” of jobs.

Still, die-hard supporters such as Gov. Jerry Brown said the discrepancies haven't curbed their enthusiasm for the project. Brown's office issued a statement to the Mercury News, saying the high-speed rail would nevertheless be “a major, much-needed boost for California's economy.” “It is important to emphasize that the case for high-speed rail does not revolve around jobs,” project board member Michael Rossi, the governor's jobs czar, said in the statement. “It is clear to Californians that something must be done to keep our state moving over the next generation.” From Sacramento to Washington, political leaders have argued the employment benefits are so great that it's time to embark on the most expensive project for any state in U.S. history. The Legislature has been urged to approve the $6 billion first leg of construction in the Central Valley as officials seek further funding. Rail officials also had used job-years to add up the number of spinoff jobs they expect outside companies, such as restau-

rants and retailers, to create to support the project. Now they estimate about 40,000 actual workers - or twothirds of the project's total jobs will be employed in spinoff jobs in a typical year, even in secluded areas such as Central Valley farmlands. When state voters approved bond funding for high-speed rail in 2008, initial cost estimates came in at $43 billion. But a new business plan released last month more than doubled that estimate, and many Californians have grown leery of spending so much in a poor economy. Earlier this month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood strongly defended the federal government's nearly $4 billion investment in the train. LaHood acknowledged at a hearing that the project will be expensive, with current estimates putting the cost at nearly $100 billion over 20 years, but he called it essential. Information from: San Jose Mercury News, http://www.sjmercury.com

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

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WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HAPPENINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TRI-CITY VOICE

Are you a writer?

December 27, 2011

Do you like to write about interesting topics? Are you a whiz with words and like to share your thoughts with others? Can you find something fascinating about lots of things around you? If so, maybe writing for the Tri-City Voice is in your future. We are looking for disciplined writers and reporters who will accept an assignment and weave an interesting and accurate story that readers will enjoy. Applicants must be proficient in the English language (spelling and grammar) and possess the ability to work within deadlines. If you are interested, submit a writing sample of at least 500 words along with a resume to tricityvoice@aol.com or fax to (510) 796-2462.

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

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Sudoku: Fill in the missing numbers (1 – 9 inclusive) so each row, column and 3x3 box contains all digits.

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Down 1 Twice the radius (13) 2 Distance covered by a foot (9) 3 Auto option (5) 4 Subterranean trains (6) 5 "Home ___" (5) 6 Drivers licence is an ____ card (14) 7 Given by designated people (8) 10 Admission (6) 11 Christmas presents stuffed in __ (9,8) 12 Defending from attack (10) 14 Production/distribution of things and income (8) 15 Kind of party (9) 18 Want of fluid in the body (7) 19 "Here!" (5) 21 In simple terms (7) 24 The Dow, e.g. (5) 25 Low shoes (7) 26 Disagree vehemently (6) 28 Cobbler's stock (5) 29 "La Bohème," e.g. (5) 30 Motionless (5)

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Across 3 Helper (9) 6 Jailed (10) 8 Desirous of success (9) 9 Against the current (8) 13 Not agreeing on issues (11) 15 To do (7) 16 Onus of doing work (16) 17 Land (6) 19 Evaluation of artistic or literary work (9) 20 Issue (5) 22 Directions to put together something (12) 23 Loudest of all (8) 25 Teach (6) 27 Billy ___ (5) 28 Festive time (8) 30 Nosh (5) 31 Special feature (14) 32 Grouped in half dozens (5) 33 Elect (6) 34 Dropping down (7)

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Tri-City Stargazer DECEMBER 28 – JANUARY 3, 2012 BY VIVIAN CAROL The years 2008 through 2015 are a challenge for the average person. The cosmic arrangement over these years is almost a replica of what astrologers call “The Depression T square" of the 1930's. The road to recovery requires significant patience and adaptability from each of us. It is already altering our values. Materialism as the false god is slowly fading away for the masses. Good riddance. Environmental consciousness is steadily increasing. This is definitely a plus. By 2015, we will be extremely aware of the world's water supply, which is becoming more toxic every day. No longer will that issue be "over there." Invest in clean energy and water as those are the "must haves" of the future. We have arrived at the long awaited “2012.” No doubt almost every individual is aware that December 21, 2012 has been touted by many as a significant end time, identified by the Mayans and others. Unfortunately, there will likely be some deranged individuals who feel it necessary to ensure an end time in their particular localities. This date is the end of what the Mayans called the 13th b’ak’tun. One b’ak’tun is the equivalent of 5,125 years. The current beliefs about this upcoming date range from Armageddon to an ecstatic walk into spiritual salvation. We need to look at the magic date with the perspective of history. If we subtract 5,125 years (one b’ak’tun) from the present date we arrive very close to 3,000 BCE. That is the generalized date identified by academics as a turning point for human civilization. At that time, writing was invented; this brought a tumble of new world devel-

opments in civilization. It did not happen overnight. I think it is entirely possible that the present-day pivotal “turning point” invention is the Internet, which allows almost instantaneous communication all over the globe. That brings us one step closer in evolution to telepathy, which humankind is clearly trying to materialize, consciously or not. The need to be “connected” by ever faster cell phones and online social mechanisms is dizzying.

pio. The Plutocrats will buy the election, and the following 2.5 years will be a time of more deeply lined pockets for the wealthy. Taxes will likely steeply increase.

It may seem overwhelming to take on the challenges facing the masses. What we have on our side is exactly that: sheer numbers. Each of us can choose a fresh paradigm of thought for what is happening personally. As individuals, we are not doomed to be in replay mode forever. If you have an issue and During this decade, every equinox and sol- can think of no solution, hold the quesstice will bring significant news of damage tion in your head before you go to sleep resulting from human greed and inconsid- and ask your higher mind for the aneration for the natural world. This is and swer. Trust that an answer will be there will be particularly true near the spring within a reasonable period of time— equinox, within a month of March 21st. In maybe two or three days. Refuse to fol2010, we had the explosion of the oil rig in low any path you know is not working. the Gulf of Mexico and a serious bottom Given that you have positive expectain the stock market. In 2011, the earthtions, a fresh and improved version of quake and tsunami in Japan wrought enor- dealing with any issue may be available mous devastation and the potential for for evaluation in the morning. Or, it major radiation poisoning of air and water. may simply fall into your conscious That story is not yet over. mind during the day. Class wars will continue to intensify throughout the world. The global economy will be shaky throughout this decade, but particularly through 2015. It is entirely possible that the basis of the world’s financial system will dramatically change before the end of 2014. We in the US may only have another couple of years to enjoy the privilege of having the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. This year, just before the Presidential election, Saturn moves into the sign of Scor-

If we refuse to play the same old tapes, the mind will come up with better solutions—just as we have “refused” by moving our checking accounts and OWS. Our minds are naturally lazy and will keep reproducing the same scenarios unless we demand that it reinvent answers. We need to focus on pressing our brains to expand into fresh territory. Think about your habits and eliminate those which harm you. The problems of the world are not solved because we as a species are not mature enough to clean up the mess. We are looking for rescue. Instead, we must consciously stretch toward a greater maturity individually. If enough of us do this, it will ultimately result in better use of our brains that can actually resolve our social issues.

Are you interested in a personal horoscope? Vivian Carol may be reached at (704) 366-3777 for private psychotherapy or astrology appointments (fee required).

www.horoscopesbyvivian.com

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

SUBMITTED BY DIRECTOR RICHARD SANTOS San Jose is the largest city in the nation without a fully fluoridated drinking water system. In fact, only a few communities in our county have fluoridated water. Last month, the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors took a major step to increase the percentage of county residents receiving fluoridated tap water. We voted unanimously to fluoridate at our three water treatment plants and three district-owned water supply wells. These plants supply seven water retailers in Santa Clara County who deliver the water directly to homes and businesses. This decision came after months of studying the issue and receiving public input. We have received impassioned testimony from dozens of proponents and opponents of fluoridation. The debate has been constructive and supremely educational for our board-we appreciate and have listened to every voice. Many have asked why we made this decision. The evidence that fluoridation reduces tooth decay is overwhelming. Thousands of studies have been conducted that show the effectiveness of tooth decay reduction. We were struck by the fact that water fluoridation is highly effective in preventing decay in baby teeth, especially in children from low socio-economic backgrounds. While there are other alternatives to fluoridation, in the real world, none of them come close to the effectiveness of water fluoridation. We were struck by the fact that the status of dental

December 27, 2011

health in Santa Clara County is dismal, especially among poor children with limited access to preventative dental care. We heard that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) count fluoridation as one of the ten most important public health achievements of the 20th century. In fact, the CDC, the American Dental Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the World Health Organization unequivocally support fluoridation. We learned that the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s 2009 Behavioral Risk Survey found that 64 percent of county residents support fluoridation while 13 percent oppose it. While fluoridation is required by California law for all public water systems that serve more than 10,000 customers, provided that the funding comes from sources external to the water agency, the water district is the water wholesaler which does not serve more than 10,000 customers. Thus, the state law does not apply. Nevertheless, we recognize that if the region is to be fluoridated, it is far more economical and efficient for the fluoridation to occur at our three large water treatment plants, rather than operating separate fluoridation systems at each water retailer’s connection to our water distribution system. Our next step is to identify the funding sources. We are com-

SUBMITTED BY HAYWARD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Hayward will honor recipients of the Educator, Firefighter, Police Officer and Business Person of the Year Award at the 68th Annual Hayward Chamber of Commerce Awards Celebration Gala on Jan. 28, 2012. The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. in the University Union on the Hayward campus of California State University, East Bay, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd. Tickets for the event, which is black tie optional, are $125 and are still available at the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, 22561 Main Street. “This is one of Hayward’s great traditions, and a reflection of the esteem that this city has for those that make community service their priority,” said

mitted to working with The Health Trust, the California Dental Association, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, private foundations, and others to secure funding so that water rates will not be impacted. We have formed a board committee to move forward with exploring these options and implementation. More than two thirds of the population of the United States is serviced by public water systems that are optimally fluoridated. Fluoridation is merely an increase in the level of naturally occurring fluoride that is present in all drinking water sources. The practice has been thoroughly tested for more than 60 years. Communities that fluoridate have experienced a reduction in tooth decay of 18 to 40 percent, which means fewer children and adults with painful and expensive cavities, abscesses, tooth extractions and root canals. For more facts about fluoridation, I encourage you to read this report from the American Dental Association: http://www.ada.org/sections/professionalResources/pdfs/fluoridation_facts.pdf. If you are interested in staying informed about this issue, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter at http://bit.ly/uBDqnr.

Kim Huggett, president and CEO of the chamber. “The fact that this event sells out every year says a lot about Hayward.” This year’s event will feature a reception from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a gourmet meal, fine wines, silent and live auctions, and the awards ceremony. Those to be honored are: Business Person of the Year: Julie McKillop, owner and executive chef of Neumanali Restaurant and principal of McKillop Accountancy. Educator of the Year: Hector Garcia, principal of Harder School. Police Officer of the Year: Office Faye Thomas. Firefighter of the Year: Capt. Joe Stilwell For more information call the chamber at 510537-2424 or go to the Hayward Chamber of Commerce website at www.hayward.org.

Newark welcomes Officer Jeff Revay SUBMITTED BY CMDR. ROBERT DOUGLAS, NEWARK PD Welcome to one of Newark Police Department’s newest Police Officers, Jeff Revay who was hired as an officer in May of 2011. Jeff was raised in Fremont and attended Washington High School. He received his Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Ohlone College and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an option in Social Services from California State University East Bay. Jeff began work with our department as a Police Service Aide, assigned to Patrol &Traffic Division, in November of 2007. He worked in that capacity until his appointment to Police Officer Trainee. Jeff attended Evergreen Police Academy where he finished fourth overall in his class. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys being active in recreational sports, competing in football, basketball, and baseball. He also enjoys coaching youth and high school sports.

December 27, 2011

On Saturday, December 31, 2011, Made Up Theatre will have a special New Year's Eve show at 7 pm. “Our New Year's Eve show will be great for anyone who enjoyed the televi-

sion program Whose Line is it Anyway” said Bobby August, one of the directors of Made Up Theatre. "In addition to the show, we'll have desserts, party favors, and a giveaway of fun prizes." For those unfamiliar, an improvisation show is quite a unique and interactive experience. The actors perform scenes, stories, and musicals completely based on audience suggestions. “We called it Made Up Theatre because everything is made up on the spot,” said August. August has performed improv shows

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

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for many years with fellow co-founders: Dustin Seidler, Sean Taylor, and Ben Stephens. The four of them opened Made Up Theatre in Fremont just last year and are very proud of what they've accom-

plished so far. August states, "This past year we've had great shows, and really amazing students. We are so grateful of the tremendous support by our local community." Made Up Theatre even represented Fremont this past August as they were invited to perform in the San Francisco Improv Festival. In addition to the improv and comedy shows, Made Up Theatre will continue to be a Training Center to learn and practice improvisation. “One of our primary goals is to provide the opportunity for anyone to

come down and learn how to improvise,” explained August. The cast has years of teaching experience and they have even been trained at the world famous Second City Theatre in Chicago. Made Up Theatre will be offering a Free Improv Class on Monday, January 2nd at 7:30. "We want to offer a free class to give anyone a chance to learn the basics of this unique art. Improv is a great way to have fun while building skills with creativity, trust and public speaking" states cofounder Sean Taylor. For 2012, Made Up Theatre will have live comedy shows every Saturday night at 8 pm. They offer two different show formats: Laugh Track City and Five Play Improv. In Laugh Track City, the actors play improv games and do short scenes, stories, and songs. In Five Play Improv, the actors take a suggestion from the audience and then perform a completely improvised play.

The recommended age range for these shows is 16 and up as the performances may contain adult language and situations. “All of our shows are designed for the audience to simply laugh and have a great time with us” said Sean Taylor. “We hope to be able to perform in Fremont for many years to come!” The special New Year's Eve show will be on Dec. 31st at 7 pm. The free intro to improv class will take place on January 2nd, at 7:30 pm. Made Up Theatre is located at 3392 Seldon Court in Fremont—off Osgood Road. For more information, please visit MadeUpTheatre.com Made Up Theatre New Year’s Show Saturday, Dec 31 7 p.m. Live, interactive improv show 3392 Seldon Court, Fremont (510) 573-3363 www.MadeUpTheatre.com

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

Ken Hansen selected as Police Officer of the Year SUBMITTED BY LT. STEVEN PETRAKOVITZ, MILPITAS PD The Milpitas Police Department is pleased to announce that Officer Ken Hansen has been selected as the Milpitas Police Department, 2011 Police Officer of the Year. Officer Hansen joined the Milpitas Police Department in 1995. He has served as a police officer in a variety of assignments over his career, including investigations, traffic and patrol. He is a veteran officer who has a contagious enthusiasm for doing his job. He makes quality arrests that directly enhance the community he serves. He has been instrumental in addressing the residential burglary issue and has worked a number of high profile cases throughout the city. “Time and again,” noted Chief of Police Dennis Graham, “fate has put Ken in the right place at the right time, to the benefit of citizens and fellow officers, whom he has helped protect from harm. Ken has a builtin instinct to hone in on the worst predators that our society has to offer, and to safely bring them into custody.” In March, Officer Hansen captured an attempted kidnapping suspect who ran from him and engaged him in a physical fight before the suspect was taken into custody. Additionally, Officer Hansen also investigated and arrested a suspect who used a cell phone to capture video of undergarments of female shoppers as they shopped at a local mall. These are just a few of the many cases that represent the high quality work that our residents receive every day from Officer Ken Hansen, and makes him our 2011 Police Officer of the Year.

SUBMITTED BY NEWARK POLICE DEPARTMENT Though domestic violence is said to increase over the holidays, many do not report it. Just like any other time of the year, you deserve to be safe from violence. If you are in immediate danger, the Newark Police Department is prepared to take the necessary action if an abusive partner loses control or becomes violent. Believe that you do not deserve to be abused, and that you are not alone. Call 911 if in urgent need of help! Otherwise (AND ONLY IF SAFE), contact the following organizations. They can help you create a personal safety plan for you and your children. Please visit http://www.acfjc.org/files/04192011DVGuide.pdf for a Domestic Violence Resources Guide for Alameda County, or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: • 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), • or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) • or (206) 787-3224 (Video Phone Only for Deaf Callers). WARNING: Abusers can track your computer activity. Consider using a safer computer such as one from the library or a friend's house.

December 27, 2011

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

rom the moment of birth, each of us receives an abundance of information from our environment. If we are lucky, our parents nurture and protect us while friends and other family members reinforce a sense of selfworth and values. The same can be said for a community that draws its strength from the values and protection of its citizens. At the heart of a legacy are knowledge and values handed down through decades and generations. Individuals can provide comfort and continuity but so can institutions that support and encourage a sense of belonging… in other words, community. Fremont Bank has been a solid supporter of our community since its inception when ranchers, farmers and businesses knew the value of safe and prudent investing. Although the unpredictability of weather and the envi-

ronment were challenging, people in this area depended on Fremont Bank as a solid financial partner. Fremont Bank prides itself on continuing this legacy, which began with the vision of Morris Hyman who knew that the strength of every community lies with its people. He believed that investing was more than just a matter of dollars and cents. Those who lived, worked and played in the area were a resource that transcended other assets. Investment was much more than simply the bottom line; true return on investment was an understanding and belief in the value of the combined dreams of all citizens, creating a common bond of trust and pride while building vital, healthy communities. Morris’s legacy lives on and is evident through the many contributions of the Fremont Bank Foundation to civic and

New Haven School Board Update SUBMITTED BY RICK LA PLANTE The New Haven Board of Education approved an extension of Winter Break by one day, through Monday, January 2. Schools will reopen on Tuesday, January 3. To maintain a 175-day school year, the District’s employee groups agreed to open schools Wednesday, March 21, which previously was designated as one of the six furlough days being forced upon the District because of state budget cuts. However, Governor Brown announced that state revenues are short of original budget projections, meaning “triggers” in the budget will force mid-year cuts to K-12 education. Although the cuts are not expected to be as severe as feared, the District still may be forced to consider additional reductions to the school calendar this spring. Those discussions will begin after winter break, when details about the impacts of the “trigger” will be finalized. The schedule is unchanged for the other furlough days: February 10, March 5, April 20, May 21 and June 14. Employees also are sacrificing an additional day without pay on a non-student day. Also the Board: Acknowledged Kevin Harper, for whom the meeting was his last after seven years of service to the Board. Mr. Harper is resigning, effective at the end of the calendar year, because he and his wife are moving out of the District. His appointed replacement, Michael Ritchie, will serve the remaining 11 months his term, starting in January. Re-elected Michelle Matthews as its President and elected Jonas Dino as Clerk, and made appointments to standing committees and other agencies as follows: Regional Occupational Program Board: Mr. Dino and Sarabjit Cheema (Mr. Ritchie alternate). Alameda County School Boards Association: Ms. Matthews (Linda Canlas alternate). Special Education Local Plan Area Policy Board: Mr. Dino (Mr. Ritchie alternate). California Interscholastic Sports Federation: Ms. Matthews (Ms. Cheema alternate). Board of Education/City Council Sub-Committee: Ms. Matthews and Mr. Dino. Union City Youth Violence Prevention Advisory Committee: Ms. Matthews and Ms. Cheema. Approved the first interim report on the 201112 budget and multi-year projections though 2013-14. Projections for 2012-13 include an additional reduction of three days from the student calendar and an increase in K-3 class sizes to 30:1. The District projects it will be able to recover one of the furlough days in 2013-14. Confirmed its meeting schedule for the remainder of the 2011-12 fiscal year. The Board is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates: January 17, February 7 and 21; March 6 and 20; April 17; May 1 and 15; June 5 and 19. Approved a contract with EMC Research Inc. for a representative survey of registered voters regarding the possibility of placing a parcel tax on the ballot in 2012.

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nonprofit organizations throughout the area. Just as the combined assets of our community have made Fremont Bank strong and secure, everyone now has the opportunity to share the legacy through participation in the bank’s B-CharitableSM checking account. Each time someone opens a B-CharitableSM checking account, organizations that cater to local arts, edu-

cation, medical advancement, youth and social services benefit. As the old saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” Be a part of the “B-charitable” rising tide in our community. Talk to Fremont Bank today about how you can create your own legacy. B-CharitableSM checking accounts are an easy and efficient way to support your charity of choice, selected from a list of local nonprofit organizations that participate in the bank’s program. Drop by a Fremont Bank location, call (800) 359-2265 or visit www.fremontbank.com/bcharitable to become part of the “buzz.” If you think one person can make a difference Imagine what an entire community can do.

VTA improves services in 2012 SUBMITTED BY BRANDI CHILDRESS On January 9, 2012, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will implement changes to enhance service and transform the public transit commute. For instance, weekday frequency on Line 23 will be improved to operate every 10 minutes, instead of every 15 minutes, between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. On VTA light rail, minor schedule changes will be made on both the Santa Teresa-Alum Rock and Winchester-Mountain View lines to improve schedule reliability. Also, the afternoon Commuter Express trains will leave Baypointe at 4:10, 4:41, and 5:11 p.m. The most significant news is the introduction of new express buses that will transform the commute from an ordeal to a comfortable, convenient and hassle-free ride. VTA will begin operating new diesel-electric hybrid commuter buses designed specifically for VTA’s Express Bus Service. The new vehicles are better-suited for longer commutes and feature amenities such as high-back seats, free on-board Wi-Fi, luggage racks, footrests and reading lights. The new coaches will operate on VTA Express Lines 102, 103, 120, 121, 122, 182 and 183. Express Line 183 is new to VTA and will travel from Aborn & White Road to Fremont BART serving Evergreen and East San Jose area residents. Express Bus Line 120 will also offer extended routing from Fremont BART to the Shoreline area in Mountain View. "VTA is pleased to be able to deploy these enhanced, low-emission vehicles on our express bus routes and I believe our riders will be pleased with the amenities on board, based on the feedback we receive from them,” said VTA General Manager Michael Burns. "We’re meeting the demand for public transit as more and more people replace their car trips with bus and light rail trips in order to save money and be more environmentally friendly." Many changes are being implemented to the existing express routes in terms of routing, number of trips, scheduled times and stops observed as part of the Express Bus Business Plan that was approved by the VTA Board of Directors in March 2011. VTA acquired 20 new hybrid buses with an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, combined with California Proposition 1B funding. These buses will be phased into service during January and February 2012 as they are delivered from the manufacturer, Gillig Corp. of Hayward. VTA’s long range plan is to replace all express buses with new vehicles as funding becomes available. New service change information can be found on the VTA website at www.vta.org/nbs or by calling VTA’s Customer Service Center. VTA’s Google Trip Planner will also have the latest schedule information when the service change takes place on Monday, January 9, 2012. For more information on service changes or for a customized trip plan, contact VTA Customer Service at (408) 3212300; for the hearing impaired only call (408) 321-2330. Also log onto www.vta.org and sign-up to receive VTA email updates. Find VTA on Facebook at “SCVTA”, Twitter at “SantaclaraVTA”, and YouTube at www.youtube.com/scvta.

Newark welcomes Officer Michael Taylor

SUBMITTED BY CMDR. ROBERT DOUGLAS, NEWARK PD

At the October 18, 2011 Fremont City Council meeting, Detective William Veteran was honored for 25 years of service with the Fremont Police Department.

Michael Taylor was hired as a Newark Police in July of 2011. He transferred to our department as a lateral officer from the Sanger Police Depart-

Newark welcomes Officer Vincent Kimbrough SUBMITTED BY CMDR. ROBERT DOUGLAS, NEWARK PD Vincent was hired as a Newark Police Officer in June of 2011 after he transferred to our department from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. Vincent was born and raised in Irving, Texas. He graduated from Douglas D. MacArthur High School in 1988. He has attended college courses at Bethany College (Lindsburg, Kansas), Modesto Jr. College (Modesto, CA), and American River College (Sacramento, CA). In 1990, Vincent joined the United States Marine Corps where he served until 1992. Vincent attended Modesto Jr. College Police Academy in 1995 and was hired as a Deputy Sheriff with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department in 1996; he worked there for a year until he was hired with the Modesto Police Department. Vincent later joined the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department until being hired with the City of Newark. During Vincent’s 15 years of law enforcement experience, he has worked in a variety of assignments including Field Training Officer (FTO), police academy recruit training officer, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, FTO sergeant, and a POST instructor in firearms, emergency vehicle operations, and the 40-hour field training officer course. Vincent is married and has two children. He loves baseball and has a passion for duck hunting.

ment. Michael was born and raised in Fresno where he graduated from McLane High School and attended CSU Fresno. Michael began his career in law enforcement as a reserve officer with the Fresno Police Department in 1999 and in December 2007, was hired as a police officer with the Sanger Police Department. In July 2009 Michael was assigned to work in the gang unit at Sanger PD where he was highly trained in gang enforcement. He worked in this assignment until transferring to the City of Newark. Michael is fluent in Spanish and has extensive financial background from his previous careers in the mortgage and banking businesses. In Michael’s free time he enjoys playing volleyball, hiking, biking, reading, and working out.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

Please join us for our Signature Soup Contest on January 28, 2012 at 2pm! Sample our delicious soups and vote for your favorite. This is a free event and space is limited so please RSVP before January 25th.

Fremont student wins International Youth Award SUBMITTED BY SHANTI BALARAMAN On December 10, the School Broadcasting Network (SBN) in Melbourne, Australia, announced the winners for the “International Youth Awards.” Pavan Raj Gowda, age 11, from Fremont, was announced as the winner of the SBN International Youth Award 2011 (boys ages 8 to 12). Gowda is the founder of “Green Kids Now” a non-profit or-

ganization, focused on taking action and increasing environmental awareness. The SBN Global Youth Awards are an annual international award acknowledging young people in the age groups of 8-12 years, 13-18 years and 19-25 years who are: caring for community, nature and our planet; committed to social justice; creating initiatives and benchmarks for an equitable and sustainable future or furthering the under-

standing and integration of indigenous or international culture. (http://sbnonline.org/category/sbnyouth-awards/) A few weeks before the recognition, radio station 94.1 3WBC invited Gowda to a live radio interview, called ‘Primary Perspectives.’ He was interviewed by a team of kids in Australia and the program aired live during peak commute hours. Gowda’s passion for the environment has inspired kids across the globe! Earlier in December and prior to the announcement of his winning the SBN award, Gowda had been invited to participate as a youth speaker at the “SBN Global Youth Conference,” which also aired live. The purpose of this conference was to give young people around the world a voice about what they see as the most vitally important issues of our time. Futurist Dr. Peter Ellyard moderated the conference and discussed solutions with the youth delegates, ages 12 - 25, from around the world. Gowda was the youngest speaker at the conference. He spoke about resource sustainability, and emphasized the importance of recycling, the need to adopt alternative resources, to look at the natural ecosystems and learn from them. Gowda’s message of striving for a “zero waste” community, and to create things in sustainable ways, has reached thousands of kids across the world who listened to the live broadcast from their schools. The recorded version of the radio interview and his speech at the Global Youth Conference will soon be available for on-demand listening. The links will be posted on his organization’s website: http://greenkidsnow.org. Congratulations to Pavan Raj Gowda for his tenacity and being such an exceptional leader. The International Youth Award was truly well deserved!

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

Page 21

$ = Entrance or Activity Fee R= Reservations Required Schedules are subject to change. Call to confirm activities shown in these listings.

Friday, Dec 30

Kwanzaa

6 - 8:30 p.m. Free Celebration - Hosts Rev. and Mrs. Tommy Smith

Palma Ceia Baptist Church 28605 Ruus Rd., Hayward (510) 489-5366 Saturday, Dec 31

New Year's Eve Hike R

11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Alameda County Superior Court needs Volunteers to support The Information Kiosk in the Fremont and Hayward courthouses. Training provided. Phone 510-891-6209 or e-mail ralvarez@alameda.courts.ca.gov

Explore the park, see birds and wildlife, and get some exercise. Parking fee. Rain cancels. Ages

10+ Coyote Hills Regional Park 8000 Patterson Ranch Rd., Fremont (510) 544-3220 Saturday, Dec 31

Classic Film Night $

7:30 p.m. "The Iron Mask"plus "Mud and Sand"

Niles Essanay Theater 37417 Niles Blvd., Fremont, CA (510) 494-1411 Saturday, Dec 31

New Year's Eve Show $

7 p.m. Interactive experience with desserts, party favors and prizes. Ages 16 and up

Made Up Theatre 3392 Seldon Ct., Fremont (510) 573-3363 www.MadeUpTheatre.com Sunday, Jan 1

New Years Day Butterfly Walks

11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. Start the year off right with an inspiring visit to a monarch butterfly overwintering site. Meet at the Granary. Park admission fee

Ardenwood Historic Farm 34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont (510) 544-2797 Monday, Jan 2

Free Improv Class

7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Learn the basics of Improv

Made Up Theatre 3392 Seldon Ct., Fremont (510) 573-3363 www.MadeUpTheatre.com

Tri-City Voice Contest! Starting in January, look for Crossword Puzzle Contest! Solve the puzzles by looking through the advertisements and you could win valuable prizes. There will be a contest crossword on one Tuesday edition and one Friday edition every month. Winners will be drawn at random from each month’s correctly completed entries—turning in both of the month’s crosswords will increase your odds of winning! Winners will be announced in the Tri-City Voice.

Odd news keeps New Englanders laughing, thinking continued from page 13

immediately the gold was fake. A man in East Lyme, Conn, at least tried to do a good deed when he committed a crime. Police said the drunk man broke into a trailer behind the high school and stole keys to a lawnmower. He then rode the lawnmower three miles to his parents' house, mowed their lawn, then tried to ride the mower back to the school. He abandoned it halfway and was charged with third-degree larceny and burglary. A pair of Newport, R.I. thieves also made a poor choice when they decided to rob a pizza delivery driver. The 30-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were arrested, armed with a BB gun, after they tried to rob an undercover officer in an unmarked vehicle with a pizza shop sign on the roof. Police had been alerted to delivery driver robberies in the area and set up a sting. There was no word on the quality of the pizza in that case. There was no doubt about the quality of the pizza in a story out of Stoughton, Mass. in August. David Schuler grew up in the Boston suburb but moved years ago to Mississippi. He says he had been unable to find a quality slice in the Magnolia State. So, on a visit home in August he bought 150 frozen, vacuumsealed pizzas from his favorite pizza parlor and drove them 14,000 miles to Mississippi to share with family and friends. In August, in Hebron, Maine, the Redneck Olympics were held. They included bobbing for pigs' feet, toilet-seat horseshoes, lawn mower races, a mud run and pie-eating contest. Organizer Harold Brooks cleared out space for campers on his cattle farm. Cities across the nation put up plaques to commemorate significant historical events. In Lincoln, N.H. in July, state officials put up a plaque to mark a UFO sighting 50 years after Betty and Barney Hill reported seeing a flat, cigar-shaped craft hovering over them in the White Mountains as they returned from vacation in Canada. Barney, who had binoculars, later told science investigators that he could see figures on the craft. In 1964, they underwent a series of taped hypnosis sessions - recalling they had been abducted and physically examined by “men” who did not appear to be human. Paintings and a sculpture of their descriptions depicted them with large, bald heads, slanted eyes and gray skin. Live long and prosper.

FREE Tax Preparation Services for Eligible Households making $50,000 or Less

Fremont Family Resource Center - VITA Program 39155 Liberty Street Fremont, CA 94538 1/25/12 to 4/16/12 M-W-F Closed President's Day 2/20/12 Mon. & Wed. 4 to 8 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. No appointment needed Go to

www.fremont.gov/frc for more info

A positive path for spiritual living

Welcome New Spiritual Leader KEN DAIGLE

Unity of Fremont Sunday 10:00 AM

36600 Niles Blvd, Fremont at the First Christian Church

www.unityoffremont.org 510-797-5234

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

SUBMITTED BY KASSIE SIEGEL

he Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit December 8, challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s leasing of more than 2,500 acres of environmentally sensitive land in Monterey and Fresno counties for oil and gas development. The development would include “fracking” — a dangerous process where massive amounts of water, laced with undisclosed chemicals, are blasted into the ground — and would go ahead without a thorough examination of the effects this drilling will have on California’s landscapes, wildlife, watersheds and air quality. “Opening up these sensitive areas to fracking without even disclosing the risks is flat-out irresponsible,” said the Center’s Kassie Siegel. “Our public lands shouldn’t be sacrificed for more dirty fossil fuel development just when we need to shift as quickly as possible to a clean-energy future.” “We’ve seen out-of-control and reckless drilling across the country, and now the industry has set its sights on California’s sensitive areas,” said Gary Lasky, Sierra Club California conservation leader in Fresno. “By ignoring the need for an environmental review, the industry is once again putting its profits ahead of the safety of local residents and the protection of our watersheds.” After denying a formal protest filed by the Center, Sierra Club and Los Padres Forest Watch, the BLM offered 2,703 acres of land in Monterey and Fresno counties for lease, of which 2,583 were leased for a total of $257,051.

Campaign raises awareness of teen dating violence SUBMITTED BY SHERRI PLAZA As part of their ongoing commitment to domestic violence prevention and awareness, Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments (SAVE), a non-profit organization based in Southern Alameda County, was awarded a $22,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon. The grant will support the Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program, an effort to continue outreach services to teens to prevent their becoming victims/survivors of domestic violence. “Teenagers are especially susceptible to domestic violence. Their lack of life experience makes it more difficult to determine if, for example, the fifteen texts that they receive from their boyfriend every hour is love or controlling behavior,” said Rodney Clark, SAVE executive director. “I commend Verizon for their commitment to this issue and for their partnership.” Participants will learn about the characteristics of both healthy and abusive relationships, tools for healthy conflict resolution, the cycle of violence and where to turn if they need help or find themselves in an unsafe, abusive relationship. The Verizon Foundation’s generous donation will help SAVE stop the violence before it begins. “The impact that SAVE’s Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program will have on our youth is tremendous and goes a long way to keeping them safe,” said Holly Cole, Verizon’s director of government and external affairs. “Verizon has a high-level of commitment to eradicating violence and is proud to partner with SAVE in this prevention effort.” More information about SAVE can be found at www.save-dv.org

SUBMITTED BY KEVRAN DAY All over the globe, Sweet Adelines International choruses are joining together to teach the world to sing. Women of all ages who enjoy singing are invited to Bay Area Showcase Chorus’ January Open House Nights, every Thursday in January, 2012, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at SES Hall, 1375 Lafayette St., Santa Clara, CA. Bay Area Showcase Chorus is a chapter of Sweet Adelines International, an organization of nearly 25,000 women worldwide who sing four-part a cappella harmony, barbershop style. The Bay Area Showcase Chorus members share a love for music and singing barbershop harmony. As a member, you too can experience the exhilaration of performing and singing with us. Any woman of average singing ability, with or without vocal training, will find a part that fits her voice range with the help of the chorus’ musical leaders and director(s). Bay Area Showcase Chorus performs regularly throughout the community, offering its talent for entertainment at civic events and charitable functions, since 1956. Members of the chorus come from all over the Bay Area, from as far as Galt, to enjoy the singing, fun, and friendship offered by the chorus. Bay Area Showcase Chorus was the 2010 Regional Champions and was honored to represent the region at the 2011 International Competition. The chorus will be competing for the title again in April 2012 and is also taking part in the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, OH, in July. The World Choir Games are often called the Olympics of singing and Bay Area Showcase Chorus is proud to be one of 16 choruses that will be participating in their first Barbershop Chorus division of the competition. To find additional information about Bay Area Showcase Chorus visit www.singharmony.org or contact Birgit Andersen at 408-973-1555 or email info@singharmony.org. More information about Sweet Adelines can be found at: http://www.sweetadelineintl.org

FREE Adult Reading and Writing Classes are offered at the Alameda County Library

Tell A Friend

Call Rachel Parra 510 745-1480

SUBMITTED BY DAVID OJAKIAN Curtain Call Performing Arts’ (CCPA) premier of the Broadway version of “A Christmas Carol, the Musical,” delighted a full houses during its opening weekend at the company’s new home, the San Leandro Arts Education Center on the San Leandro High School campus. The musical version of the classic tale based on Charles Dickens’ novel was brought to life by the diverse and vibrant cast of community performers. Rich vocals, elaborate sets, staging, and costume design transported the audience to 1800s Dickens’ London. San Leandro’s new Arts Education Center presented an ideal venue for Curtain Call, now in its fourth season, as awe-inspiring special effects were introduced including flying ghosts by ZFX Flying Illusions, and a look at Scrooge’s past, present, and future through a “portal” lighting effect that would have made the “Christmas Carol” Broadway creative team of Alan Menken ("Beauty and the Beast"), Lynn Ahrens ("Ragtime"), and Mike Okrent ("Crazy For You") proud. “The cast and crew’s months of hard work truly paid off,” said Andrea Gorham, CCPA CoFounder and Artistic Director. “We had a great 'Family Day at the Theatre’with around 400 families in attendance, and our ‘Gift of Broadway’ free assembly program shows are on Thursday, making the show more accessible than ever to youth and families in our community.” Curtain Call provides multiple shows free of charge to local school children as part of its exclusive “Gift of Broadway” free assembly program, and “Family Day at the Theatre,” where admission for K8th grade children is only $1 with a paid adult. The vision of CCPA is to ensure that performance-based arts are accessible to everyone who desires to participate or attend performances by keeping both ticket prices low and class/workshop tuition affordable. To learn more about CCPA and their upcoming performances visit www.curtaincallperformingarts.org or call (510) 629-9516.

December 27, 2011

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

VTA seeks comments on long-range Transportation Plan SUBMITTED BY BRANDI CHILDRESS The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations in Santa Clara County and also serves as the county’s congestion management agency; in the latter capacity, VTA is responsible for preparing and adopting the county-wide transportation plan: Valley Transportation Plan (VTP). The VTP outlines transportation programs and investments for Santa Clara County over a 25-year period. The VTP is updated every four years, aligning with updates to the Regional Transportation Plan prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The last update, VTP 2035, was adopted by the VTA Board in January 2009. A series of public meetings will provide an opportunity for the general public to provide input and feedback to help shape the preparation of the VTP and learn more about Santa Clara County’s transportation needs and planning process. These proposals will then be contained in the VTP 2040 document that will be adopted in January 2013. The general public is encouraged to review the updated list of transportation proposals and to provide comments by visiting

www.vta.org/vtp or by calling VTA Community Outreach at (408) 321-7575. The VTP will be on the VTA Board of Directors’ January 5, 2012 meeting agenda. Valley Transportation Plan Public Meetings: Tuesday, Jan 3 4 – 6 p.m. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library Cultural Heritage Center 5th Floor 150 E. San Fernando Street, San Jose (Take VTA bus lines 63, 64, 72, 73, 81; Dash: 22, 23, 522; light rail is nearby) Wednesday, Jan 4 4 – 6 p.m. Centennial Recreation Center Meeting Room 2 171 W. Edmundson Avenue, Morgan Hill (Take VTA bus line 68) Wednesday, Jan 4 6 - 8 p.m. City of Mountain View City Hall Atrium Room 500 Castro Street, Mountain View (Take VTA bus lines 35, 22,522; light rail is about three blocks away)

AP WIRE SERVICE MASSILLON, Ohio (AP), Dec 23 - A reindeer named Betty is recovering with bruises and bumps, but no red nose, after tumbling from the back of a truck onto a northeast Ohio highway. Her handlers from Stump Hill Farm near Canton say a loose bolt caused the livestock truck's rear gate to open Sunday morning as Betty was headed to a holiday appearance at a party. Drivers on state Route 21 in Norton had to dodge the dazed reindeer walking down the middle of lanes, and 911 calls poured in about the roaming animal. Tricyn Huntsman runs the farm with her parents and tells the Akron Beacon Journal (http://bit.ly/uZePAP ) the gate has since been fixed with extra bolts and a lock. She says the truck will now be ``like an armored car.'' Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com

PG&E customers can ‘opt-out’ To provide customers who have concerns about wireless SmartMeter™ technology with alternative options for recording their energy use, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to give customers a choice to use traditional analog, mechanical meters. This request offers another customer option in addition to the utility’s proposal last March to turn off the radios in its opt-out customers’ SmartMeters™. "Some customers remain concerned about SmartMeter™ technology and want alternatives,” said Helen Burt, PG&E’s Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. “Through comments to us and the CPUC, they are clear that an analog meter is the option they prefer to address their unease with wireless technology.” PG&E is installing digital, wireless SmartMeters™ throughout its service area in Northern and Central California as part of a statewide program to enhance the safety, reliability, and affordability of its gas and electric services. Similar metering programs are now underway at utilities throughout the country and around the world. To date, PG&E has installed nearly nine million gas and electric

SmartMeters™. Independent studies repeatedly have affirmed the safety and accuracy of SmartMeters™. However, in response to comments from some customers, PG&E last March proposed offering them a choice to turn off the radios in their SmartMeters™. The utility also provided customers with the option to delay the installation of new SmartMeters™ until the CPUC approves a way to opt-out of the program. Now, in response to further customer feedback, PG&E asked the CPUC to approve analog meters as an additional alternative to receiving a SmartMeter™. Burt added, “Personal choice is important to our customers. In response to their requests, we are asking the Commission to approve an option for customers to receive analog meters.” The CPUC is expected to issue its SmartMeter™ opt-out decision soon. That decision will likely ask customers who opt-out of the program to pay an initial fee and some reasonable monthly charge to cover the costs of manual meter reading and other associated operational and billing issues. For more information, visit: http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

Holiday schedule for garbage service & free tree recycling During the holidays, garbage, recycling, and organics collection service for Newark residents will be on regularly scheduled days as Christmas and New Year’s fall on Sunday. Tri-Cities Waste Management is providing free Holiday Tree Recycling on regular collection days in January. The trees will be composted. Green waste in Alameda County is banned in landfills. Waste Management produces OMRI listed compost for organic farming from residential food scraps and green waste in Alameda and Marin counties. To learn more visit www.wmearthcare.com. Holiday Tree Recycling Monday, January 2 thru Friday, January 31 on regular collection day Place tree curbside – Only clean trees are acceptable (free of flocking, ornaments, tinsel and stands: plastic, metal or nailed wood). Cut tree to 5’-6’ length. Plastic or flocked trees cannot be recycled and must be cut to fit into the trash cart with the lid closed. Anytime after the holidays, residents may cut their trees to fit into their Yard Waste cart with the lid closed and the trees will be recycled. Residents seeking more information about Holiday Tree Recycling, Collection Schedule or other services provided by Tri-Cities Waste Management, may call – (510) 624-5900

Page 23 continued from page 7

At 100 years old, an Ohio doctor is still in taste” for alcohol. He drinks a beer “once in a while.” As for wine, “only on Passover.” He recalled an overseas Passover during World War II. “The Navy sent a rabbi ashore to celebrate Passover with wine,” he said. “Suddenly, everyone around me was Jewish.” He admitted to “having some bumps in life.” He survived major heart surgery and licked prostate cancer. “I had good doctors,” he explained, “who took good care of me.” Last winter he suffered several bumps. While making a house call, he went up a snow-covered set of steps that had no handrail. He slipped. Down he went. Bruised. But not broken. He has already told that patient “if you get sick this winter, I'm coming in by way of your garage.” The biggest bump he suffered was when his wife of 60 years died in 1998. “She suffered from a brain tumor,” he said. For the first time on this festive day, a trace of sadness appeared in his strong voice. He suffered, too. “I still miss her,” he said, looking toward a photo of “my Esther” standing on shelf by his desk. “When she died, I had to go on,” he said, “I could not afford to feel sorry for myself. I had to be diverted by work.” He looked once more at the photo of her holding an infant. “There she is with one of my babies.” He keeps her photo within view for inspiration. On the same wall hangs another source of inspiration, a close-up of Abraham Lincoln's face as it appears on his statue in Lytle Park. “Old Abe's my favorite President,”Goldman said. “Dad likes him so much because he was one of his patients,” joked Tom Goldman. His dad feigned a frown. “I have no patience for such remarks,” he said, laughing with his son and at his pun. Fred Goldman decided to become a doctor right before graduating from

Hughes High School - “shortly before the dawn of time.” He said he waited “until the last minute to apply to the University of Cincinnati's medical school. I never regretted for a minute going into medicine. And I have no plans of getting out of it.” He followed in the medical footsteps of his older brother, Leon Goldman, world-famous long before his death, in 1997 at the age of 91, as the father of laser surgery. ``He founded UC's dermatology department. The laser made him famous all over,'' the younger Goldman brother said. ``He was a genius. I was never as good as he. I am just a doctor.'' And a humble physician at that. “He is adverse to publicity,” noted Jay Goldberg. The 93-year-old Mason man and his wife, Leah, have been Goldman's patients for six decades. “I don't like attention,” Goldman admitted. “I just like to work.” He has no plans of stopping. “Work is life,” he said. “I work on demand. If there's not much demand, there's not much work. Fortunately, the demand exists. I feel I can still be helpful to people. And, I can still do the job. So, there's no sense to consider retirement.” He has not changed his approach to caring for his patients since he entered private practice in 1946. “I am not the commander. I am not the boss,” he said. “We're working together to help the patient.” He spends “at least 30 minutes with each patient. I give them time. Sometimes, that's the best medicine.” Then he bids them adieu. “Peace and quiet,” he says as they leave. As they open the door into the hallway, they must pass a photo of Albert Einstein. Under his smiling face are the words: “The world could use more Einsteins.” The world would also be better off with a few more Fred Goldmans. --Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

FREE Adult Reading and Writing Classes are offered at the Alameda County Library

Tell A Friend

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BOOKMOBILE SCHEDULE Alameda County Bookmobile stops Renew books by phone (510) 790-8096 For more information (510) 745-1477

Tuesday, Dec 27 2:30 – 3:25 p.m. Cabrillo School, 36700 San Pedro Dr., Fremont 3:45 – 4:20 p.m. California School for the Deaf, 39350 Gallaudet Dr., Fremont 5:25– 6:10 p.m. Booster Park, Gable Dr. & McDuff Ave., Fremont 6:25– 6:55 p.m. Camellia Dr. & Camellia Ct., Fremont Wednesday, Dec 28 1:00 – 1:45 p.m. Hillside School, 15980 Marcella St., San Lorenzo 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. Eden House Apartments, 1601 165th Ave., San Leandro 3:00 – 3:35 p.m. Ashland Village Apartments, 1300 Kentwood Lane, San Leandro 4:40 – 5:15 p.m. Palomares Hills HOA Clubhouse, 6811 Villareal Dr., Castro Valley 5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Lomond Way & Greenridge Rd., Castro Valley Thursday, Dec 29 2:00 – 2:25 p.m. Baywood Ct., 21966 Dolores St., Castro Valley 2:45 – 3:40 p.m. Bay School, 2001 Bockman Rd., San Lorenzo 4:55 – 5:30 p.m. Falcon Dr. & Merganser Dr., Fremont 5:50 – 6:20 p.m. Creekside Village Apartments, 3999 Sequoia Terrace, Fremont

Friday, Dec 20: No service Monday, Jan 2: No service Tuesday, Jan 3 1:45 – 2:30 p.m. Mission Hills Middle School, 250 Tamarack Dr. Union City 2:45 – 3:30 p.m. Purple Lotus Buddhist School, 33615 - 9th St., Union City 4:50 – 5:30 p.m. Mariner Park, Regents Blvd. & Dorado Dr., Union City 5:40 – 6:20 p.m. Sea Breeze Park, Dyer St. & Carmel Way, Union City Wednesday, Jan 4 3:15 – 4:00 p.m. Warm Springs Community Center, 47300 Fernald St., Fremont 4:15 – 4:50 p.m. Lone Tree Creek Park, Starlite Way & Turquoise St., Fremont 5:50 – 6:25 p.m. Jerome Ave. and Ohlones St., Fremont 6:40 – 7:10 p.m. Baywood Apts., 4275 Bay St., Fremont Milpitas Bookmobile stops Renew books by phone (800) 471-0991 For more information (408) 293-2326 x3060 Wednesday, Dec 28 2:00 – 2:20 p.m. Pioneer Park, 60 Wilson Way, Milpitas 2:30 – 2:55 p.m. Friendly Village Park, 120 Dixon Landing Rd., Milpitas 3:20 – 4:00 p.m. Foothill School, 1991 Landess Ave., Milpitas

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

James Logan HS soccer results SUBMITTED BY JAMES WILLIAMS December 16 James Logan (JL) vs Kennedy (JFK) James Logan 3, Kennedy 0

52:00, Christian Alvarado (Justyn Raygoza) 70:00

JL: Miguel Montoya (Rodolfo Esquivias) 26:00

JL Goalie: Kyle Doser, 80 Min, 2 Saves, 0GA JFK Goalie: Adrian Fuentes, 80 Minutes, 5 Saves, 3GA

2nd Half Scoring: JL: Miguel Montoya

December 21 James Logan (JL) vs Berkeley (B) James Logan 2, Berkeley 0

1st Half Scoring: JL: Jason Jattan (Juan Carlos Romero-Pacheco) 3:00 2nd Half Scoring: JL: Juan Carlos Romero-Pacheco

1st Half Scoring:

JL Goalie: Kyle Doser, 80 Min, 0 GA, 4 Saves B Goalie: Asa Burroughs, 80 Min, 2 GA, 5 Saves JL Record 6-3-3 (2-0-0) JL Next Opponent: American @ James Logan, 1/4/2012

Renegades make it close PHOTO BY DON JEDLOVEC Ohlone College Renegade men’s basketball recently participated in the West Valley Tournament held in Saratoga and came away with a 1-2 record, outscoring College of the Canyons 72-54 on December 16 but coming up just one point short in succeeding games with College of Alameda, 67-66 (overtime) on December 17 and Foothill College 73-72 on December 18. Play resumes Wednesday, December 28 in Monterey against Monterey Peninsula College and December 31 on the courts of San Jose City College. The next Renegade home game will be January 4 versus Foothill College. More Renegade scores, information and schedule at www.ohlone.edu/org/athletics

Fremont National Youth Baseball Signups All Pee Wee, Micro, and Minor games are played at Brier Elementary while our Major and Senior divisions play around the corner at Walters Jr. High. FNYB has a “must play” rule, so no player is ever left out. Modified Little League rules apply to all divisions. Division Breakdown and 2012 fees: • PEE WEE (5-6): $80 Coach pitch division (not T-ball), 5 pitches to hit ball, no score kept • MICRO (7-8): $100 Coach pitch division, score and standings are kept, 6 innings • MINOR (9-10): $125 Player pitch division, 6 innings, 60-ft. baseline • MAJOR (11-12): $150 70-ft.

baseline, 7 innings • SENIOR (13-14): TBD Travel team, 90-ft baseline, 7 innings, metal spikes allowed (Player age is determined by age as of April 30th of that year) SIGNUP DATES (10AM-2PM AT BRIER ELEMENTARY): JANUARY 7 JANUARY 14 JANUARY21 JANUARY 22 JANUARY 28 JANUARY 29 *Early bird signups receive $20 off registration fees •Discounts are available for families with more than one player •A copy of your child’s birth certificate is required at registration WWW.FNYB.NET

Renegade women looking good on the hardwood PHOTO BY DON JEDLOVEC After a tough loss to Foothill 64-55 on December 13, Ohlone rebounded with three successive victories at the Tom Martinez Tournament in San Mateo December 16-18. Merritt College was the first to fall 81-32, followed by Santa Monica College 70-43 and College of San Mateo 5142. Results of the December 22 contest with City College San Francisco were unavailable at press time, but the Lady Renegades are scheduled to compete in the Mike Gervasoni Tournament at De Anza College December 28-30 and return to their home court January 4 against San Jose City College. For more information, schedules and results, visit www.ohlone.edu/org/athletics

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

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Holiday schedule for garbage service & free tree recycling During the holidays, garbage, recycling, and organics collection service for Hayward residents will be on regularly scheduled days as Christmas and New Year’s fall on Sunday. Waste Management of Alameda County in conjunction with Hayward Sanitary District is

COUNCIL OF REALTORS Members of the Women’s Council of REALTORS (WCR) Tri-Cities Chapter and their guests gathered on December 14,

providing free Holiday Tree Recycling on regular collection days in January. The trees will be composted. Green waste in Alameda County is banned in landfills. Waste Management produces OMRI listed compost for organic farming from residential food scraps and green waste in

cer in the US Air Force while serving as a navigator flying the KC-135 aerial refueling military aircraft. Jones has served as city manager of the cities of Chico and Hayward. He and his wife,

Alameda and Marin counties. To learn more visit www.wmearthcare.com. Holiday Tree Recycling Monday, January 2 thru Friday, January 13 on regular collection day Place tree curbside – Only clean trees are acceptable (free of

Scott’s colleagues describe her as a “giver” because she is always willing to help. Duarte has served on several boards and now sits on the board of the Bay East Association of

Women’s Council of REALTORS, Tri-Cities Chapter Retiring Officers for 2011: (l-r): Anna May (President-Elect Anna May), Russ Barto (Treasurer) Jackie Alberti (VP Membership), Ann Gupta (President), George Duarte (Secretary).PHOTO BY Bob Henry.

2011, at the Hilton Hotel, Newark, for their monthly luncheon which was sponsored by Acacia Creek Retirement Community, Union City, and Fremont Bank. Great appreciation was shown for the hard work and dedication of the officers who have served in 2011: President Ann Gupta, President-Elect Anna May, VP Membership Jackie Alberti, Secretary George Duarte and Treasurer Russ Barto. Those who have volunteered their services for 2012 were installed: President Anna May, President-Elect Greg Jones, VP Membership Viola “Vi” Scott, Secretary George Duarte and Treasurer Preiyaa Anand. May has served as a Hayward Council member, president of South Hayward Rotary, an Alameda County Housing Authority commissioner and as the 2011 President-Elect for the WCR Tri-Cities Chapter. She understands the importance of strong programming and inclusiveness of the membership. Jones graduated from high school when he was 16 and from college when he was 20. He was the youngest commissioned offi-

flocking, ornaments, tinsel and stands: plastic, metal or nailed wood). Cut tree to 5’-6’ length. Plastic or flocked trees cannot be recycled and must be cut to fit into the trash cart with the lid closed. After January 13, residents may cut their trees to fit into

their Yard Waste cart with the lid closed and the trees will be recycled. Residents seeking more information about Holiday Tree Recycling, Collection Schedule or other services provided by Waste Management, may call – (510) 537-5500

has also served as the president of the California Association of Mortgage Bankers and is often consulted by the media. He was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year at the luncheon. Anand was born in India and is a science graduate of Punjab University. She immigrated to the United States in 2000 with her husband. After buying a home in Fremont in 2003, she decided to become a REALTOR and is associated with Keller Williams, Fremont. “New members have a superb opportunity to participate in a great organization. Generally, monthly WCR meetings have an educational speaker who imparts knowledge and information helpful to your business. The speaker program resumes in January 2012. Today’s year-end meeting honors our past leadership and sees the induction of next year’s board members,” said Mike Riley, 2012 Regional VP for national WCR and past state and local President. “You will be identified as the officers of the WCR Tri-Cities Chapter, dedicated to the best interest of the public and the wel-

& Means), Tamika Ellsworth (Membership Chair), Ann Gupta (Past President/Nominating Chair), Jan Prevost (Past President/Advisory). The Chapter, which serves Hayward, Fremont, Union City and Newark, is committed to the success of its members who are drawn from all sectors of the real estate industry – REALTORS, real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, mortgage lenders, insurance brokers, home inspectors, pest control, home security, etc. Membership is an opportunity to connect with others’ resources and expertise. Goals include the empowerment of women for successful careers in real estate, though membership is open to all, advocacy for property rights and homeownership and the highest standards of professionalism. The program of speakers is designed to entertain yet inform. There are different levels of involvement within the Tri-Cities Chapter and opportunities to represent local members, regionally and nationally. WCR Tri-Cities Chapter meets on the third Wednesday of

Women’s Council of REALTORS,Tri-Cities Chapter Officers for 2012: (l-r), Anna May (President), Preiyaa Anand (Treasurer), George Duarte (Secretary),Viola “Vi” Scott (VP Membership), Greg Jones (President-Elect). PHOTO BY Simon Wong.

Anna May, own the Realty World Neighbors franchise in Hayward. Scott entered the real estate industry in 2003 and joined WCR Tri-Cities Chapter in 2004. She served as Secretary in 2009, Education Chair the following year and is active in planning the WCR annual pot luck. She is a REALTOR with Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie, Fremont.

REALTORS. He was the 200809 chair of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. The owner of Elite Real Estate Properties, Fremont, is a strong advocate, effecting positive legislation within the real estate industry, locally as a Local Government Representative for Bay East and at state level representing the California Association of Mortgage Brokers. He

fare of your members. You will exemplify the best that REALTORS have to offer their profession. Guard this trust carefully,” advised Riley. Other board positions will be filled in 2012 by Lodie Alvarez (Education Chair), Russ Barto (Budget & Finance), Sandi Gomes (By-Laws), Lu Jayo (Ways

each month at the Newark Hilton, 39900 Balentine Drive, Newark, and looks forward to the continued support of its membership and sponsors and to welcoming new members and support in 2012. For more information, visit www.WCRTC.org or call (510) 881-1234.

Hayward City Council Hayward City Council December 20, 2011 Consent Appointed Councilwoman Barbara Halliday to Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District Board of Trustees. Resolution authorizing city manager to negotiate and execute a Ground Lease and an Option Agreement with Master Lease with Hayward Airport Development, LLC tabled to January 24, 2012 meeting. Authorized city manager to amend the Professional Services Agreement with TJKM Transportation Consultants, Inc. for traffic signal design and signal retiming for an additional maximum amount of $40,000, and to execute a Transportation Fund for Clean Air fund transfer agreement with the Alameda County Transportation Commission. Appropriated $218,000 in the Transportation Improvement Fund for the city-wide Signal Timing and Controller Replacement Program Phase 2. Assigned and assumed Cinema Place First Amended Ground Lease and related documents from Hayward Cinema Place, LLC to Levy Affiliated Holdings, LLC or a related

entity created for the Cinema Place project. Authorized a $195,000 supplemental appropriation of Narcotics Asset Forfeitures funding which, with $40,350 of existing funding, will be used to replace failing electronic control devices. Public Hearing Introduced ordinances to change zoning from High Density Residential District to General Commercial District and repeal the Mission Corridor Specific Design Overlay District and adopted resolution to adopt the Negative Declaration and site plan review for proposed expansion and remodel of the Toyota dealership. Legislative Business Received FY 2011 General Fund YearEnd Review (information only) Received FY 2011 annual report of Redevelopment Agency activities Public Comment Ellis Goldberg pointed out that SB 1137 enables municipalities to fine banks that do not maintain vacant, foreclosed properties up to $1,000 per property, per

day. This supposedly discourages blight, crime and the incidence of foreclosure. The cities of Richmond, Oakland and Oakley have passed ordinances in response to SB 1137. Banks do not pay HOA fees until a foreclosed property is sold and allow liens to develop against the property. There is no assurance the bank or the buyer will clear these liens; consequently, the HOA will lose funding or must rely on other residents to make up the difference. The City Manager’s Office will analyze and present the advantages and disadvantages to Council. David Stark, Bay East Association of REALTORS, stated that the issues mentioned by Ellis Goldberg can prove challenging when REALTORS deal with banks. The process can be ameliorated through state legislation; the California Association of REALTORS (CAR) has a track record of initiating laws regarding HOAs and new legislation is expected in the next year. CAR will also initiate legislation regarding bank conduct in California. Bart Robeson, Salinas Ali, Yvonne Chen and Bryan Chan complained that they did not receive notification of the in-

stallation of a Verizon cell tower at Stonebrae and pointed out the restrictions, as per the California Public Utilities Commission, on the location of such facilities and associated health hazards. Melvin Patterson asked if the state of California has the correct/appropriate fire safety laws to alert deaf people in the event of an emergency. Quincy Carr commented on the version of the National Defense Authorization Act which includes a provision that allows the US military to pick up and imprison civilians without charge or trial, world-wide. He also expressed concern about SB 1867 which would allow the US military to detain and murder anti-government protesters in American cities. Mayor Sweeney mentioned the retirement of Public Works Director Bob Bauman. Mayor Michael Sweeney – Yes Barbara Halliday – Yes Olden Henson – Yes Marvin Peixoto – Yes Bill Quirk – Yes Mark Salinas – Yes Francisco Zermeño – Yes

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

Government Briefs City Council summaries do not include all business transacted at the noted meetings. These outlines represent selected topics and actions. For a full description of agendas, decisions and discussion, please consult the website of the city of interest: Fremont (www.ci.fremont.gov), Hayward (www.hayward-ca.gov), Milpitas (www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov), Newark (www.ci.newark.ca.us), Union City (www.ci.union-city.ca.us).

GOP's struggle on taxes gives Dems hope

Fremont City Council

continued from page 12

Fremont City Council December 20, 2011 Consent: Amend contract with Project Sentinel for landlord/tenant counseling services Approve contract with One Workplace L. Ferrari, LLC and appropriate $381,040.14 for purchase and installation of new audiovisual systems in Council Chambers. ADDED: Refund existing 1998A Certificates of Participation and issue 2012 Fixed Rate Certificates of Participation in an amount not to exceed $14,500,000. REMOVED: Authorize a lease amendment with Alameda County in Fremont Family Resource Center to relocate Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program within the complex (Councilmember Dutra asked for this item to be removed to confirm the lease term). Other Business: Set solid waste collection, transfer station service and landfill disposal fees for 2012-13. This is a 2 year adjustment and reflects increased costs of fuel and other charges. Referral: Vice Mayor Natarajan expressed interest in directing staff to consider determining if the original Macintosh factory in Warm Springs should be a place of historic significance and receive a National Historic marker.

Mayor Bob Wasserman Vice Mayor Anu Natarajan Bill Harrison Suzanne Lee Chan Dominic Dutra

Absent Aye Aye Aye Aye

City Council seeks applicants to fill vacancy SUBMITTED BY NEWARK CITY CLERK SHEILA HARRINGTON The Newark City Council is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacancy caused by the election of Council Member Nagy to the position of Mayor. The appointee will fill the unexpired City Council Member term which will end in November 2013. Official application forms are available on the City's website at www.newark.org or by contacting the City Clerk's office at 37101 Newark Boulevard, 5th floor, (510) 578-4266, sheila.harrington@newark.org. Obtaining the application from the city website is highly encouraged since City Hall offices will be closed from December 23, 2011 through January 2, 2012. Applicants must provide a typewritten statement of no more than 200 words per numbered category addressing the following: (1) why you want to be appointed to the Newark City Council; (2) your familiarity with City of Newark's organization and projects; (3) prior governmental, political, occupational, community service, or volunteer experience; (4) applicable education; and (5) your view of the City's budgetary priorities. Applicants must be a Newark resident and a registered voter at the time the application is filed. Original applications must be signed by the applicant and received in the City Clerk's Office before 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 5, 2012.

City of Fremont Board/Commission Vacancies Economic Development Advisory Commission One vacancy (Commercial/Industrial) Term to expire 12/31/2014

Library Advisory Commission – One vacancy Term to expire 12/31/2014

George W. Patterson House Advisory Board – One vacancy (Citizen At Large) Term to expire 12/31/2013

Planning Commission One vacancy Term to expire 12/31/2015

Historical Architectural Review Board – Two vacancies Terms to expire 12/31/2015

Advisory Body Applications can be obtained at: http://www.fremont.gov/index.as px?NID=76 or you may obtain an application from the City Clerk’s Office, 3300 Capitol Ave, Bldg A, 510-284-4060

Human Relations Commission – One vacancy Term to expire 12/31/2014

“I think the tea party-engendered dysfunction has the potential to really get the electorate's attention,” said Jared Bernstein, a former Obama administration economist now with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “At this point, the system is crippled by them.” All of this, of course, may be wishful thinking by Democrats. Republicans crushed them in the 2010 elections, giving the GOP control of the House and many governorships. Unemployment and other economic indicators bode badly for Obama's re-election hopes, and the payroll tax dust-up may seem a musty memory by next November. One other worry looms. Americans' taxes still might rise by billions of dollars in 2012 if a deal can't be struck on a longer, one-year extension. Economists say that would depress spending and slow job growth, at least

somewhat. Even if more voters blame Republicans than Democrats, Obama could end up as a net loser politically, given that the economic climate already is deeply troublesome for him. GOP leaders say income tax cuts do more to stimulate economic growth than payroll tax reductions but worry about independents thinking it was Republicans who sought to raise their payroll taxes. At the same time, they know that hard-core conservative voters who have a bigger voice in GOP primaries might blame them for a tax cut they dislike. Republicans may yet claim one political victory out of the payroll tax imbroglio, assuming the two-month extension goes through. In House-Senate negotiations they forced Obama to agree to an expedited decision on a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline opposed by environ-

mental groups as part of the two-month extension. The GOP still has a perception problem, though. Americans hold Congress in extremely low regard, but they put more blame on Republicans than Democrats. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that a record-high 50 percent of Americans say the current Congress is less effective than most. By nearly 2-to-1, “more blame Republican leaders than Democratic leaders for this,” Pew found. “By wide margins, the GOP is seen as the party that is more extreme in its positions, less willing to work with the other side to get things done, and less honest and ethical in the way it governs. And for the first time in over two years, the Democratic Party has gained the edge as the party better able to manage the federal government.”

continued from page 12

Tax cut lives: Congress gives last-minute approval Passage of the tax bill in the House ended a holiday season Republican confrontation with Obama and Senate Democrats that had threatened to hit 160 million workers with a tax increase on Jan. 1. But it backfired badly. Even Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and the Wall Street Journal editorial board urged Speaker John Boehner and other House Republicans to act quickly and keep the tax cut in effect. On Friday, an expressionless Boehner read from a piece of paper before him, gaveled the House's last session of the year closed and stepped off the podium on the Democratic side. He hugged the dean of the House, Rep. John Dingell, DMich. “I wished him a Merry Christmas,” Dingell said afterward. “I think he's somewhat at ease to have this mess off his back.” Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid, referring at least in part to legislators elected last year with tea party support, said he hoped the events had been “a very good learning experience, especially to those who are newer to this body. Everything we do around here does not have to wind up in a fight.” A full-year extension of the tax cut had been embraced by virtually every lawmaker in both the House and Senate but had been derailed in a quarrel over demands by House Republicans. Senate leaders of both parties had tried to barter such an agreement among themselves a week ago but failed, instead agreeing upon a 60-day measure to buy time for talks next year. Thursday's decision by Boehner, R-Ohio, to cave in to the Senate came after days of criticism from Obama and Democrats. But perhaps more tellingly, GOP stalwarts including Republican senators and outside strategists warned that if the tax cuts were allowed to expire, Republicans would take a political beating that would harm efforts to unseat Obama next year. House GOP arguments about the legislative process and what the “uncertainty” of a

two-month extension would mean for businesses were unpersuasive, and Obama took the offensive. Friday's House and Senate sessions were remarkable. Both chambers had essentially recessed for the holidays but leaders in both parties orchestrated passage of the short-term agreement under debate rules that would allow any individual member of Congress to derail the pact, at least for a time. None did. The developments were a clear win for Obama. The payroll tax cut was the centerpiece of his three-month, campaignstyle drive for jobs legislation that seems to have contributed to an uptick in his poll numbers - and taken a toll on those of congressional Republicans. Obama, Republicans and congressional Democrats all said they preferred a one-year extension but the politics of achieving the goal, particularly the spending cuts and new fees required to pay for it, eluded them. All pledged to start working on that in January. “There remain important differences between the parties on how to implement these policies, and it is critical that we protect middle-class families from a tax increase while we work them out,” said Senate Majority Leader Reid, D-Nev. House GOP arguments about the legislative process and what the “uncertainty” of a two-month extension would mean for businesses were unpersuasive. The two-month version's $33 billion cost will be covered by a .1 percentage point increase on guarantee fees on new home loans backed by mortgage giants Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae at a likely cost of about $17 a month for a person with a $200,000 mortgage. “Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when we agree to things, we can't do it?” Obama said on Thursday. “Enough is enough.” The top Senate Republican, McConnell of Kentucky, was a driving force behind the final agreement, imploring Boehner to accept the deal that McConnell

and Reid had struck last week and passed with overwhelming support in both parties. Meanwhile, tea party-backed House Republicans began to abandon their leadership. “I don't think that my constituents should have a tax increase because of Washington's dysfunction,” freshman Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said. If the cuts had expired as scheduled, 160 million workers would have seen tax increases and up to 2 million people without jobs for six months would start losing unemployment benefits averaging $300 a week. Doctors would have seen a 27 percent cut in their Medicare payments, the product of a 1997 cut that Congress has been unable to fix. Even though GOP leaders like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., promised that the two sides could quickly iron out their differences, the truth is that it'll take intense talks to figure out both the spending cuts and fee increases required to finance the measure. Just hours before he announced the breakthrough, Boehner had made the case for a yearlong extension. But on a brief late afternoon conference call, he informed his colleagues it was time to yield. “He said that as your leader, you've in effect asked me to make decisions easy and difficult, and I'm making my decision right now,” said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., paraphrasing Boehner's comments. Kingston said the conference call lasted just minutes and Boehner did not give anyone time to respond. There was still carping among tea party freshmen upset that GOP leaders had yielded. “Even though there is plenty of evidence this is a bad deal for America ... the House has caved yet again to the president and Senate Democrats,” Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., said. “We were sent here with a clear set of instructions from the American people to put an end to business as usual in Washington, yet here we are being asked to sign off on yet another gimmick.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

Page 27

PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF William Marshak

Where have all the studies gone? Center Theater Unified Site UPRR purchase in Warm Springs Russell City Energy Center Fremont General Plan Kimber Park Fremont Skate Park Solyndra Redistricting

WILLIAM MARSHAK

Highway 84 – Option 2 Fremont Police Station retrofit

pproach of the New Year is a natural time to look back a bit to see what has been accomplished in the previous year. It can be difficult, amidst the joyful and tumultuous festivities of the holiday season, to remember the promise and resolutions that opened 2011 but on the political scene both new and continuing challenges have confronted our elected leaders and their staff of “public servants.” The beginning of a New Year is a good time to contemplate successes and failures that accompanied the launch of the second decade of this millennium. I gain a better perspective of 2011 by reviewing the topics that captured my attention during the year; to look back at these issues and see if they have moved closer toward resolution or are destined to become a distant memory, relegated to a far corner of my mind until provoked. Amidst the cacophony of economic distress is the uncertainty of Redevelopment Agencies and their economic largess which has sustained a host of public employees, civic projects and a thriving industry. Public project results have been mixed; often the lure of loosely regulated redevelopment funds has led to blatant abuse. Good and bad proposals, partially or totally funded by redevelopment are now on the State chopping block to be decided by the State Supreme Court in January. Do you remember these public efforts? Which can claim success? Which of them failed? Which have been left on a shelf to gather dust? Patterson Ranch Niles Alleys Niles Town Plaza Dumbarton Rail BART extension Irvington BART Station BART retrofit

PG&E in Niles Canyon Warm Springs development School funding Council and board meeting efficiency Geographic and political identity Milpitas Convention Center Pacific Commons Ohlone College Newark Campus Most experts agree that economic challenges and uncertainty will continue throughout 2012; public entities – cities, counties, districts, schools – will face tough decisions complicated by questions of sustainability. An election year complicates the situation as campaign rhetoric will increase. But when the public is able to put actions of their leaders in context, explanations will need to be reasonable or terms of office should be short. Strong leadership will be more important than ever as each public and private entity strains against the slow pace of economic recovery and continues to struggle for survival, nicknamed “sustainability.” Fremont which has spent years of effort to create a new General Plan has already faced significant requests for revisions. The response by current officials has, in some cases, been less than stellar. Tepid commitment to the Kimber Park neighborhood is not a good sign; a vague March deadline for development plans may give a clue to ultimate council resolution of this issue. Another test of the council will come soon as they consider a proposal by Waste Management to construct a hazardous biowaste processing facility at the landfill located at the end of Auto Mall Parkway. The landfill is scheduled to close in 2012 but Waste Management would like to continue use of the area for recycling including potentially hazardous medical waste. Swift passage through the

Planning Commission opened the gates to City Council consideration and approval. This location is surrounded on three sides by wetlands, salt ponds and other open space uses in close proximity to Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. On the remaining eastern edge of the proposed facility, municipal property is destined to become a public park, sports facility and is already used as a storm water treatment pond for runoff from Pacific Commons. Is this an appropriate change for the General Plan and a safe location considering use of the surrounding area? Does anyone care? Will weak or strong political decisions prevail in 2012? The majority of Southeast Bay cities are preparing to decide in the voting booth who will lead us in the immediate future. If we decide to do so, our communities can exert great economic and social power, not simply as an appendage of Silicon Valley or as a convenient “bedroom community” for our neighbors. The Southeast Bay Area identity will be forged by our own initiative. Who will guide future efforts to maintain a strong vision for our cities and neighborhoods? Your votes will decide.

Where have all the studies gone? Long time passing… Where have all the consultants gone? Long time ago… Where have all the monies gone? Gone to paychecks and dusty shelves, every one… When will they ever earn? When will they ever learn?

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Sharon Marshak PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGN Ramya Raman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Sharon Marshak EDUCATION Miriam G. Mazliach FEATURES Julie Grabowski GOVERNMENT Simon Wong SPORTS REPORTERS Biff Jones Gary van den Heuvel David Nicolas Sanjna Shukla Kevin Yin TRAVEL & DINING Denny Stein PHOTOGRAPHERS Mike Heightchew Don Jedlovec DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Gerry Johnston ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Lou Messina ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS BOOKKEEPING Vandana Dua

REPORTERS Janet Grant Philip Holmes Catherine Kirch Susana Nunez Suzanne Ortt Praveena Raman Mauricio Segura Angie Wang Jessica Noel Waymire WEB MASTER RAMAN CONSULTING Venkat Raman LEGAL COUNSEL Stephen F. Von Till, Esq.

My apologies to Pete Seeger, Joe Hickerson et al for changes to the folk song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

William Marshak PUBLISHER

ADJUDICATION: What’s Happening’s Tri-City Voice is a “newspaper of general circulation” as set forth in sections 6000, et. seq., of the Government Code, for the County of Alameda, and the State of California. What’s Happening’s TRI-CITY VOICE® ™

39737 Paseo Padre Parkway Fremont, CA 94538 What’s Happening’s The Tri-City Voice is published weekly, issued, sold and circulated in and from Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Milpitas and Sunol and printed in Fremont, California. The principal office of Tri-City Voice is at 39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538. William Marshak is the Publisher. Subscribe. Call 510-494-1999 or sign up on our web site www.tricityvoice.com

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WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

PUBLIC NOTICES CIVIL SUMMONS (CITATION JUDICIAL) CASE NUMBER: (Numero del Caso) FCS038346 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (Aviso a Acusado): RUSSELL L. BISHOP, BANG DUONG and DOES 1 through 10 inclusive YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF (A Ud. le esta demandando): JAGDISH GOSWAMI and TAHEREH ALAVI You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons is served on you to file a typewritten response at this court. A letter or phone call will not protect you; your typewritten response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case, and your wages, money and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may call an attorney referral service or a legal aid office (listed in the phone book). Despues de que le entreguen esta citacion judicial usted tiene un plazo de 30 DIAS CALENDARIOS para presentar una respuesta escrita a maquina en esta corte. Una carta o una llamada telefonica no le ofrecerá protección; su respuesta escrita o a maquina tiene que cumplir con las formalidades legales apropiadas si usted quiere que la corte escuche su caso. Si usted no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso, y le pueden quitar su salario, su dinero y otras cosas de su propiedad sin aviso adicional por parte de la corte. Existen otros requisitos legales. Puede que usted quiera llamar un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce un abogado, puede llamar un servicio de referencia de abogados o una oficina de ayuda legal (vea el directorio telefonico). The name and address of the court is: (El Nombre y direccion de la corte es) Solano County Superior Court, 600 Union Ave., Fairfield, CA 94533 The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es) Michael W. Jansen 1301 College Street, Woodland, CA 95695 DATE (Fecha): August 11, 2011, By: G. Robins, Deputy (Delegado) (SEAL) 12/20, 12/27, 1/3, 1/10/12 CNS-2227507#

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 459441 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Bay Fashionwear, 5012 Spring Crest Ter., Fremont, CA 94536,County of Alameda Badru Z. Khan, 5012 Spring Crest Ter., Fremont, CA 94536 This business is conducted by an individual The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 9/21/2006 I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Badru Z. Khan This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on December 20, 2011. NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 12/27, 1/3, 1/10, 1/17/12 CNS-2232506# STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME File No. 454260 The following person(s) has (have) abandoned the use of the fictitious business name: Indian Tiffias and Pizza, 4137 Bay Street, Fremont, CA 94538, 3021 Peralta Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536 The fictitious business name statement for the Partnership was filed on 7/21/2011 in the County of Alameda. Mohan Foods Inc., California, 3021 Peralta Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536 This business was conducted by Corporation. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/ Raizer Khan This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on December 20, 2011. 12/27, 1/3, 1/10, 1/17/12 CNS-2232491# FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 459109 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Phoenix Dental Laboratory, 3995 Smith St. Ste. #1, Union City, CA 94587, County of Alameda Jessie Potenciano, 1772 Egret Ct., Hayward, CA 94545 This business is conducted by an Individual.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Jessie Potenciano, Proprietor This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on December 8, 2011. NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 12/27, 1/3, 1/10, 1/17/12 CNS-2230940# FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 458638 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Uncrossable Productions, 3856 Jacana Lake Court, Fremont, CA 94555, County of Alameda, 37 E. Lewelling Blvd., San Lorenzo, CA 94580, Alameda Sonearra Cross, 3856 Jacana Lake Court, Fremont, CA 94555 Nejiua Gordon, 3856 Jacana Lake Court, Fremont, CA 94555 This business is conducted by a general partnership The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on October, 2011 I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Sonearra Cross, General Partner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on November 22, 2011 NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 12/20, 12/27, 1/3, 1/10/12 CNS-2226384# FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 458552 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Simon Cyber Tech, 4169 Rainbow Ter, Fremont, CA 94555, County of Alameda Simon M. Ho, 4169 Rainbow Ter, Fremont, CA 94555 This business is conducted by an individual The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 11/21/2011 I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Simon M. Ho This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on November 21, 2011 NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 12/13, 12/20, 12/27, 1/3/12 CNS-2222917# FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 459027 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Nails 54, 1554 Washington Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539, County of Alameda Kim Xuyen Thi Huynh, 6620 Eskrigde Way, Elk , CA 95758 This business is conducted by an individual The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Kim Xuyen Thi Huynh, Owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on December 06, 2011. NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

12/13, 12/20, 12/27, 1/3/12 CNS-2222899# FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 458712 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Bombay Pizza House, 31871 Alvarado Blvd., Union City, CA 94587, County of Alameda; Mailing Address: 30730 Canterbury Ct., Union City, CA 94587 Gursewak Singh Gill, 30730 Canterbury Ct., Union City, CA 94587 This business is conducted by an Individual. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 11-23-11. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Gursewak Singh Gill This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on November 23, 2011. NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 12/13, 12/20, 12/27, 1/3/12 CNS-2222882# FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 459036 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: J. Winsco, 34111 Cartwright Place, Fremont, CA 94555, County of Alameda Liguan Zhang, 34111 Cartwright Place, Fremont, CA 94555 This business is conducted by an Individual. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Liguan Zhang, Owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on December 7, 2011. NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 12/13, 12/20, 12/27, 1/3/12 CNS-2222873# FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 458074 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Hope Knows Vintage, 40679 Witherspoon Terrace, Fremont, CA 94538, County of Alameda Mandi Preftokis, 40679 Witherspoon Terrace, Fremont, CA 94538 This business is conducted by an individual The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 2/10/11 I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Mandi Preftokis This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on November 7, 2011 NOTICE-In accordance with Section 17920(a), a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires five years from the date it was filed with the County Clerk, except as provided in Section 17920(b), where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). 12/6, 12/13, 12/20, 12/27/11 CNS-2219354#

stores about how to order and distribute the book. An illustration of Rudolph sweeps across the page, his name written in ornate script. There are exclamation points galore. “The rollinckingest, rip-roaringest, riot-provokingest, Christmas give-away your town has ever seen!” “A laugh and a thrill for every boy and girl in your town (and for their parents, too!)” Rudolph is described as “the perfect Christmas crowdbringer,” if stores follow a few rules, including giving the book only to children accompanied by adults. “This will limit `street urchin' traffic to a minimum, and will bring in the PARENTS ... the people you want to sell!'' The response was overwhelming - at a time when a print-run of 50,000 books was considered a best-seller, the company gave away more than 2 million copies that first year and by the following year was selling an assortment

CORINA CAMPBELL PURCHASING MANAGER CITY OF FREMONT 12/20, 12/27/11 CNS-2228405# NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Sealed bids will be received in the Office of Purchasing Services at 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg B, Fremont, California, up to the hour of 2:00 PM on January 11, 2012, at which time they will be opened and read out loud in said building for: 2012 Citywide Storm Drain Repair Project No. 7926-M (PWC) Plans, special provisions and standard proposal forms to be used for bidding on this project can be obtained for a non-refundable fee at ARC/ Peninsula Digital located at 1654 Centre Pointe Drive Milpitas, CA 95035 or through Planwell at ww.e-arc.com, Phone (408) 262-3000. No partial sets will be issued, cost is non-refundable. Call to confirm availability of copies before coming to pick up documents. For more information on this project, contact the City of Fremont Purchasing Department at (510) 494-4620. CORINA CAMPBELL PURCHASING MANAGER CITY OF FREMONT 12/20, 12/27/11 CNS-2227755# NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Sealed bids will be received in the Office of Purchasing Services at 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg B, Fremont, California, up to the hour of 2:00 PM on January 26, 2012, at which time they will be opened and read out loud in said building for: HVAC Units Replacement at Fremont Main Library City Project No. PWC 8754 APN 525-167-100 MANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A mandatory pre-bid conference and site visit is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at the project site, 2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont, California. Meet at the loading dock at the south side of the building. Plans, special provisions and standard proposal forms to be used for bidding on this project can be obtained for a non-refundable fee at ARC/ Peninsula Digital located at 1654 Centre Pointe Drive Milpitas, CA 95035 or through Planwell at ww.e-arc.com, Phone (408) 262-3000. No partial sets will be issued, cost is non-refundable. Call to confirm availability of copies before coming to pick up documents. For more information on this project, contact the City of Fremont Purchasing Department at (510) 494-4620. CORINA CAMPBELL PURCHASING MANAGER CITY OF FREMONT 12/20, 12/27/11 CNS-2227721# CITY OF UNION CITY NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE UNION CITY, CITY COUNCIL will hold a public hearing in the Council Chambers at 34009 Alvarado Niles Road, Union City, CA on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 7:00 PM or as soon as thereafter, to receive and consider all evidence are reports relative to the following: A resolution designating a 4 Hour Street Parking Limit on: 10th Street (I St. To Decoto Road); 11th Street ( I Street to Decoto Road); J Street (11th Street to Railroad Avenue The East Side of I Street (12th Street to Railroad) In addition City Council will considered giving the Public Works Director the authority to extend the 4 Hour Parking Limit to the following streets as well on an as needed basis provided prior to any street being signed with parking limits, the residents and business impacted by the parking limits will be notified. 10th Street ( H Street to I Street); 11th Street (H Street to I Street); The west side of I Street (12th Street to Railroad Avenue); H Street (12th Street to Railroad Avenue); Railroad Avenue (I Street to J Street) ALL INTERESTED PARTIES are invited to attend said hearing and express opinions or submit evidence for or against the proposal as outlined above.

GOVERNMENT

FURTHER INFORMATION on the above matter may be obtained or viewed at the Public Works Department, located at 34009 Alvarado Niles Road, Union City.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

If a citizen wishes to challenge the nature of the above actions in court, they may be limited to raising only those issues they or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City a or prior to the public hearing.

Sealed bids will be received in the Office of Purchasing Services at 3300 Capitol Ave., Bldg B, Fremont, California, up to the hour of 2:00 PM on January 10, 2012, at which time they will be opened and read out loud in said building for: PASEO PADRE PARKWAY ELECTROLIER REPLACEMENT PROJECT – PHASE D City Project No. 8392D (PWC) Federal Project No. HSIPL-5322(036)

The facility is accessible to the disabled and hearing impaired. If special assistance is required, please call (510) 675-5346 so accommodations can be arranged. While not required, 48 hours notice is appreciated.

Plans, special provisions and standard proposal forms to be used for bidding on this project can

DATED: December 27, 2011 City Clerk

continued from page 1

book's launch and success went unnoticed until last year, when Dartmouth archivist Peter Carini came across it while looking for something else. “No one on staff currently knew we had it. I pulled it out and all the pieces started falling out. It was just a mess,” Carini said. The scrapbook, which has since been restored and catalogued, includes May's list of possible names for his story's title character - from Rodney and Rollo to Reginald and Romeo. There's a map showing how many books went to each state and letters of praise from adults and children alike. The scrapbook also chronicles the massive marketing campaign Montgomery Ward launched to drum up newspaper coverage of the book giveaway and its efforts to promote it within the company. Near the front of the scrapbook is a large colored poster instructing Montgomery Ward

be obtained for a non-refundable fee at ARC/ Peninsula Digital located at 1654 Centre Pointe Drive Milpitas, CA 95035 or through Planwell at ww.e-arc.com, Phone (408) 262-3000. No partial sets will be issued, cost is non-refundable. Call to confirm availability of copies before coming to pick up documents. For more information on this project, contact the City of Fremont Purchasing Department at (510) 494-4620.

of Rudolph-themed toys and other items. But lest this become a story about corporate greed, it should be noted that in 1947, Montgomery Ward took the unusual step of turning over the copyright to the book to May, who was struggling financially after the death of his first wife. “He then made several million dollars using that in various ways, through the movie, the song, merchandising and things like that,” Carini said. “I think it's a great story because it shows how corporations used to think of themselves as part of civil society and how much that has changed.” May eventually left Montgomery Ward to essentially manage Rudolph's career, which really took off after May's brother-inlaw Johnny Marks wrote the song (made famous by Gene Autry in 1949), and the release of a stopmotion animated television special in 1964.

Both the song and movie depart significantly from May's original plot, however. In May's story, Rudolph doesn't live at the North Pole or grow up aspiring to pull Santa's sleigh - he lives in a reindeer village and Santa discovers him while filling Rudolph's stocking on a foggy Christmas Eve. “And you,” Santa tells Rudolph, “May yet save the day! Your wonderful forehead may yet pave the way!’” May's story is written in verse, similar to “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore, and opens, “‘Twas the day before Christmas and all through the hills/ The reindeer were playing ... enjoying the spills.'' “It's lovely to hear it read out loud, it really comes alive,” Virginia Herz, one of May's daughters, said in a phone interview this week. As a small child, Herz, who declined to reveal her age, didn't think there was anything unusual about growing up in a house surrounded by Rudolph merchandise. It wasn't until she was older that she realized her father's job of “taking care of Rudolph” was a bit different. She tells her grandchildren that their great-grandpa wrote a story about Rudolph, not that he

12/27/11 CNS-2225711#

PROBATE NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF WILFRID LONGCHAMP CASE NO. FP11589680 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: Wilfrid Longchamp A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Teresa Longchamp in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Teresa Longchamp be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A HEARING on the petition will be held on 1/25/2012 at 9:30 am in Dept. 201 located at 2120 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Berkeley, CA 94704. IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within four months from the date of first issuance of letters as provided in Probate Code section 9100. The time for filing claims will not expire before four months from the hearing date noticed above. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a formal Request for Special Notice (DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: Melba EsparteroCawit, Esq., 32116 Alvarado Blvd., Union City, CA 94587, Telephone: 510-489-2698 12/27, 12/30, 1/6/12 CNS-2231644#

PUBLIC AUCTION/SALES NOTICE OF LIEN SALE AT PUBLIC AUCTION Notice is hereby given that personal property in the following units will be sold at public auction: on the 17th DAY OFJanuary 2012at or after 11:00ampursuant to the California Self-Storage Facility Act. The sale will be conducted at: Thornton U-Haul, 4833 Thornton Ave. Fremont, CA 94536. The items to be sold are generally described as follows: clothing, furniture, and / or other household items stored by the following people: Name Unit # Paid Through Date Maxima Tronsal B105 11/1/2011 Will Buckner B118 11/10/2011 Dorothy Dantes B136 10/8/2011 Norma Williams B242 11/12/2011 Jeff Biggs C129 11/4/2011 Sibyl Cupit C165 11/2/2011 Sonia Young C223 10/3/2011 Lamar Thomas C245-46 11/2/2011 12/27, 1/3/12 CNS-2231189# NOTICE OF LIEN SALE AT PUBLIC AUCTION Notice is hereby given that personal property in the following units will be sold at public auction: on the 17th D AY OF January 2012 at or after11:15 am pursuant to the California SelfStorage Facility Act. The sale will be conducted at: Grimmer U-Haul, 44511 Grimmer Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538. The items to be sold are generally described as follows: clothing, furniture, and / or other household items stored by the following people: Name Unit # Paid Through Date Paul Bukenburger 175 9/19/2011 Melissa Costello 257U 9/10/2011 Ted Sakadales 274U 10/30/2011 Troy Williams 316 10/1/2011 Barbara Erickson 324 11/11/2011 Melissa Costello 335 9/10/2011 12/27, 1/3/12 CNS-2231180#

created the character. “As I child, that's how I felt. I knew my dad had written a wonderful book about Rudolph and now there were Rudolph toys and other things all around us,” she said. “But it was no different than the guy next door who sold cars, or the guy down the street who was a painting contractor.” She acknowledges the myths that have become entwined in Rudolph's history - including the notion that May wrote the story as a Christmas gift for his older daughter, Barbara, when his wife was dying of cancer and that a Montgomery Ward manager ``caught wind of the little storybook.'' In reality, Montgomery Ward assigned May to write a Christmas book around the same time his wife was ill, Herz said. “What's out there on the Internet is a softer telling,” she said. “My dad was aware of it and considered it appropriate. There's the softer, romantic version and the more fact-based version.” Herz said her father would be thrilled to see how his creation and its many incarnations have become part of American culture. “I think he would be startlingly amazed,” she said. “It really is an eternal part of Christmas. He would have been amazed.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING’S TRI-CITY VOICE

December 27, 2011

Page 29

For more information 510-494-1999 tricityvoice@aol.com

Birth

Special Life Events

Marriage

Obituaries

ife Cornerstones will acknowledge important events that occur during the cycle of life in our community. In order to give a broad and fair opportunity for all citizens to be recognized, a basic listing is offered at no cost. Such announcements may include births, deaths, marriages, anniversaries, bar/bat mitzvah, Quinceañera, etc. Many cultures celebrate different milestones in life and this list will be as inclusive as possible. Due to space limitations, only a brief announcement is possible without charge. Those who decide to publish more extensive information and/or a picture may do so at low prevailing rates – as low as $35 - on this page. Although every attempt will be made to include announcements in a timely manner, since TCV is published biweekly, submissions received after Friday of the week preceding a distribution date may not be published until a later issue.

Boris Kirillov RESIDENT OF FREMONT January 29, 1937 - December 7, 2011

Eugene H. Arthur RESIDENT OF FREMONT December 25, 1923 - December 7, 2011

Dr. Edward L. Buchanan, III

Anhan Liu

RESIDENT OF NEWARK August 8, 1948 - December 13, 2011

RESIDENT OF MILPITAS July 14, 1934 - December 13, 2011

Sharon Chandler-Tindall RESIDENT OF NEWARK April 22, 1957 - August 5, 2011

Roberto D. Devera RESIDENT OF UNION CITY May 26, 1931 - December 14, 2011

Aurora Cunha Furtado RESIDENT OF FREMONT September 6, 1909 - December 14, 2011

Celia Ramirez RESIDENT OF FREMONT April 20, 1932 - August 8, 2011

Hortensia E. Gomez RESIDENT OF FREMONT March 18, 1927 - December 15, 2011

Leonora V. Fajardo RESIDENT OF FREMONT January 6, 1947 - December 15, 2011

Saokram Bouth RESIDENT OF FREMONT July 28, 1941 - September 11, 2011

Kulsoom Bawani

Joan I. O’Neil

RESIDENT OF SAN RAMON June 20, 1940 - December 16, 2011

RESIDENT OF FREMONT November 30, 1933 - December 15, 2011

Mohammed “Moin” Ghatala

Carmelita T. Facunla

RESIDENT OF UNION CITY March 1, 1945 - December 19, 2011

RESIDENT OF FREMONT February 27, 1946 - December 16, 2011

Ruperto Vasquez RESIDENT OF FREMONT March 27, 1922 - October 5, 2011

Lupe Arriola RESIDENT OF FREMONT May 15, 1926 - October 10, 2011

Chieko K. Dixon RESIDENT OF FREMONT August 25, 1929 - December 19, 2011

Jose Martins Rodrigues RESIDENT OF FREMONT September 2, 1926 - December 16, 2011

Tri-City Cremation & Funeral Services FD2085 (510) 494-1984 5800 Thornton Ave., Newark

William Carver Smith RESIDENT OF FREMONT March 10, 1943 - December 18, 2011

John A. Lanto RESIDENT OF FREMONT April 15, 1930 - December 17, 2011

Please contact TCV at (510) 494-1999 or email tricityvoice@aol.com for submissions or further information. Free listings are limited to residents and families of the Greater Tri-City Area.

Gisele J. Renson RESIDENT OF FREMONT February 14, 1934 - December 20, 2011

Maolin Zhao RESIDENT OF FREMONT December 7, 1941 - December 17, 2011

Holly A. Meamber RESIDENT OF UNION CITY January 26, 1926 - December 22, 2011

Lance “Chan” Hunter, Jr. RESIDENT OF SANTA CLARA June 6, 1955 - December 18, 2011

Berge • Pappas • Smith

Chapel of the Angels

Chapel of the Roses FD1007 (510) 797-1900 1940 Peralta Blvd., Fremont

(510) 656-1226 40842 Fremont Blvd, Fremont

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510-657-1908 www.lanasestatesales.com

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A Commitment to Keep Kids Healthy SUBMITTED BY TIM GALLEN YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), the national resource office for the nation’s 2,700 Ys, has committed to standards that would ensure that more children have access to healthy food and physical activity in its 10,000 early childhood and afterschool programs across the country. The new commitment is to the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and was announced at the Building a Healthier Future Summit, focused on ending the childhood obesity epidemic. PHA, which hosted the Summit, works with the private sector and its honorary chairwoman first lady Michelle Obama to solve the nation’s childhood obesity crisis. “As one of the nation’s largest providers of early childhood and afterschool programs, the Y can make a significant impact in improving the health of hundreds of thousands of children nationwide,” said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of Y-USA. “The Y is a leading nonprofit strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the country, children are in desperate need of healthy environments that help them thrive. Implementing standards and practices for Y childcare programs will help create a healthier future for our nation’s children.” The new standards will: • Establish a minimum of expected physical activity for children of different ages enrolled in our programs; • Define food and beverages offerings, including designating water as the primary beverage during snack times and offering fruits and vegetables as snack options; • Limit the amount of screen time (watching TV, playing video games, using computers); • Encourage breastfeeding of infants in our care; and • Commit Ys to conducting parent education to encourage healthy behaviors at home. The YMCA of the East Bay is one of Northern California's largest trainers and deployers of volunteers. Last year the East Bay Y system trained more than 500 volunteers in programs ranging from childcare to teen enrichment, health and wellness and cultural harmony. With nine branches and almost 50 childcare centers in operation from Fremont to the Oregon border, the East Bay Y system also has the largest geographic reach of any YMCA operation in North America. For more information about the Y, visit www.ymca.ne

Occupy protesters to descend on Rose Parade AP WIRE SERVICE PASADENA, Calif. (AP), Dec 22 - Occupy activists say they are planning a peaceful protest at the Rose Parade on Jan. 2. Pete Thottam, spokesman and organizer behind Occupy the Rose Parade says they have spent more than 20 hours meeting with the Pasadena Police Department and Rose Parade staff. The group is planning a series of ``floats'' after the end of the parade including a giant octopus made of recycled bags and a blow up of the Constitution. Picketers will also carry banners with slogans from the movement such as ``Corporate Money Out of Politics.'' Thottam says the group feels as though there is too much corporate money involved in the parade. The Occupy Wall Street protest began Sept. 17 in front of the New York Stock Exchange and has since spread to other cities.

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Jury dings CA tribe for $31M in casino dispute AP WIRE SERVICE PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP), Dec 23 - A Northern California jury has returned a $30.4 million judgment against an Indian tribe for breaking its contracts with a company that was supposed to help build and furnish slot machines for a casino in El Dorado County. The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok tribe said it would appeal the verdict returned late Thursday, The Sacramento Bee (http://bit.ly/swgmDP) reported. The jury awarded Chatsworth-based Sharp Image Gaming of Chatsworth in its long-running dispute with the Miwok over the tribe's aborted plans for a casino in the late 1990s. The tribe instead contracted with a Minnesota company to build the Red Hawk casino in Placerville, which opened in 2008. The tribe claimed that its contract was invalid because the slot machines the company planned to supply violated gambling regulations that existed at the time. The Bee says Red Hawk has been not generating as much revenue as expected. Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com

Santa Visits the Breakfast Program SUBMITTED BY KAREN JAYCOX Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus visited the Tri-City Free Breakfast program on Friday, December 23. After a delicious breakfast of baked ham, eggs, toast, pastries, oatmeal, juice and coffee, 170 needy adults and children received candy and a McDonald’s gift card from Santa Claus. Smiles and laughter abounded as Santa wished everyone a very Merry Christmas! The Tri-City Free Breakfast Program is an all-volunteer organization which serves a hot, nutritious breakfast to the needy of our community every M/W/F. To make a tax- deductible donation, send a check to Tri-City Free Breakfast Program, 4181 Irvington Ave, P.O. Box 1336, Fremont, CA 94538. For more information or questions, contact Karen Jaycox at (510) 623-0964.

Mitten envy? Wis. promotion draws note in Mich. AP WIRE SERVICE KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP), Dec 07 - The use of a mitten as part of a Wisconsin tourism promotion is attracting some attention in Michigan, which is known for its mitten-shaped Lower Peninsula. Alex Beaton, founder of Awesome Mitten, a website launched in June that aims to promote all good things about Michigan, told the Kalamazoo Gazette (http://bit.ly/ueiuqW ) she was dismayed to see the mitten image on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism website. Wisconsin Department of Tourism spokeswoman Lisa Marshall said the image of a knit mitten shaped like the state of Wisconsin went into use online Dec. 1. She notes that people in Wisconsin also consider their state to be mittenshaped. Marshall said the state's advertising agency came up with the concept. It follows a similar campaign used in the fall that featured an image of a colorful leaf shaped like the state. She said there is no slogan connected with the art. “The mitten was used as a single creative element, you guys still own the mitten,” she said. “We'd much rather our travelers consider us the `fun' state.” Dave Lorenz, manager of public and industry relations for the state of Michigan, said the two state tourism agencies are friendly. “We understand their mitten envy,” he said with a chuckle, “but there is only one mitten state, only one Great Lakes state.” Online: http://www.travelwisconsin.com Information from: Kalamazoo Gazette, http://www.mlive.com/kalamazoo

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