Recent News

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Citing costs, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley postpones world premiere of musical slated to open this summer

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley announced this week that it's postponing the world premiere production of the new musical "Alice Bliss" that had been set to run this summer at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.

Saturday, 8:29 AM | No comments yet

Friday, May 26, 2023

Obituaries: Local residents who have died

Local residents who have died include Pam Castle, formerly of Palo Alto.

Friday, 11:08 AM | No comments yet
One Menlo Park crosswalk accounts for nearly a quarter of pedestrian collisions. The city is trying to fix it

Menlo Park's most dangerous crosswalk is undergoing a pilot program to improve safety. The downtown intersection accounts for nearly a quarter of all the city's vehicle collisions with pedestrian collisions last year.

Friday, 9:22 AM | No comments yet

Thursday, May 25, 2023

9 ways to spend Memorial Day weekend on the Peninsula

Memorial Day weekend is considered the unofficial kickoff to summer for those too eager to wait for the solstice on June 21. Here are nine ways to spend the long weekend on the Peninsula.

Thursday, 4:50 PM | 3 comments
Woodside kindergarteners learn the joys of biking

The joy is palpable as kindergarteners, smiles across their faces, pedal bikes around a square marked off with multicolored cones at Woodside Elementary School. Just last month, many of the kids didn't know how to ride.

Thursday, 11:14 AM | No comments yet
San Mateo County briefs: Mpox warning and a new county health officer is hired

San Mateo County hires a new health officer and health officials warn of a resurgence in mpox ahead of Pride Month.

Thursday, 10:58 AM | No comments yet
Menlo Park doctor sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography

A Menlo Park doctor was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to two years in prison for possessing child pornography.

Thursday, 9:30 AM | No comments yet

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

After hearing neighbors' concerns, Menlo Park council strikes compromise over new restaurant's live music, outdoor patio

The Menlo Park City Council on May 23 approved a compromise allowing a new restaurant downtown to offer live music, alcohol and outdoor seating, after nearby neighbors raised concerns about noise.

Wednesday, 3:17 PM | No comments yet
Gus Mattammal to challenge Berman in race for Assembly seat

Gus Mattammal, a Republican entrepreneur who last year ran for the U.S. Congress, announced Tuesday that he will vie for a state Assembly seat that is currently occupied by Marc Berman.

Wednesday, 9:15 AM | No comments yet

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Holding court: How (and where) to play pickleball on the Peninsula

When Mountain View resident Monica Engel Williams' friends suggested playing pickleball, she thought it was a card game. Tennis was her sport for over 50 years, but once she picked up the pickleball paddle, she couldn't stop playing.

Tuesday, 12:55 PM | No comments yet
Locals urge Caltrans to reopen Highway 84 near Woodside ASAP

After a total shutdown because of a landslide, nearby residents are imploring Caltrans to reopen a stretch of Highway 84 near Woodside that has been closed since early March.

Tuesday, 11:57 AM | No comments yet
Vice President Kamala Harris visits Silicon Valley as Biden-Harris administration invests billions in semiconductor R&D

What do rice cookers, smartphones and ATMs have in common, other than making our lives easier? They're each made possible by a tiny piece of technology called a semiconductor.

Tuesday, 10:02 AM | No comments yet
Special Olympics brings students together for sports and smiles

At the Palo Alto Unified Special Olympics track and field event on Friday, May 19, special education students from 15 schools across Palo Alto, Mountain View, Atherton and Menlo Park came together to run, long jump and throw.

Tuesday, 9:59 AM | No comments yet
Obituaries: Local residents who have died recently

Local residents who have died recently include Theresa "Terri" Lavelle of Menlo Park.

Tuesday, 9:53 AM | No comments yet

Monday, May 22, 2023

Highway 101 in Sunnyvale reopens after chain-reaction collision leaves 3 dead, 5 hospitalized

Three people died and five others were hospitalized after a chain reaction collision on U.S. Highway 101 just south of Fair Oaks Avenue in Sunnyvale early Monday morning. After an overnight closure, the freeway reopened at 9 a.m.

Monday, 9:49 AM | No comments yet
Las Lomitas district board to fill upcoming vacancy with appointment

With a special election estimated to cost between $365,000 and $438,000, the Las Lomitas Elementary school board is looking to appoint someone to fill a vacancy left by trustee Brian Ross instead.

Monday, 9:12 AM | No comments yet

Sunday, May 21, 2023

At $20M, Atherton sees highest Peninsula home sale for the week of May 15

Want to know what's happening in the local real estate market? Take a look at our interactive charts showing home sales activity in communities along the Midpeninsula for the week of May 15.

Sunday, 9:10 AM | No comments yet

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Peninsula Humane Society rescues two gray foxes in Portola Valley

Two "lucky" gray foxes are now safely back in the wild after being rescued from a window well in Portola Valley by the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA on Thursday, May 18.

Saturday, 10:42 AM | 1 comment

Friday, May 19, 2023

After a stormy winter, Menlo Park residents share strategies for handling extended power outages

Menlo Park residents and city staff gathered recently for a Menlo Park Community Collaboration meeting focused how neighbors can help each other during extended power outages likes the ones experiences this winter.

Friday, 3:14 PM | 16 comments
Community briefs: See a movie at Flood Park, go to a horse fair in Portola Valley this weekend

This weekend, watch a movie at and learn about plans for a bike pump track at Flood Park in Menlo Park, and go to horse fair in Portola Valley.

Friday, 1:52 PM | No comments yet
Former community college chancellor's next hearing on corruption charges set for July

The criminal case against Ron Galatolo over alleged corruption is expected to proceed this summer following delays over whether emails could be considered for discovery.

Friday, 11:33 AM | No comments yet
History on her front porch: Palo Alto woman honors Chinese railroad laborers with exhibit

Monica Yeung Arima became aware of gaps in her son's elementary school history curriculum when a reading selection talked about the transcontinental railroad -- but didn't include any mention the Chinese workers who built it.

Friday, 11:07 AM | No comments yet

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Police: After searching two Redwood City sites, missing woman's whereabouts still unknown

Belmont police said the circumstances leading up to Ylva Hagner's 1996 disappearance are still unknown after leading a search at two sites on Farm Hill Boulevard in Redwood City last week.

Thursday, 4:09 PM | No comments yet
Balancing act: Newsom's plan to cover California's ballooning budget deficit

Gov. Gavin Newsom says his plan to cover a budget shortfall that has grown by $9 billion protects investments in education, health care and housing. But it also relies on more borrowing.

Thursday, 1:57 PM | No comments yet
Menlo Park VA plans for 62 units of affordable housing along Willow Road

The Menlo Park Planning Commission reviewed a proposal for a 62-unit affordable housing building at the Veteran's Affairs (VA) campus at 795 Willow Road.

Thursday, 11:55 AM | 1 comment
With new contract, Menlo Park district teachers get a 5% pay bump

The Menlo Park City School District school board voted 5-0 to approve a contract with the teachers union for a 5% raise.

Thursday, 10:54 AM | No comments yet
With safety in mind, Menlo Park reduces Middlefield Road to a three-lane road

The lanes on Middlefield Road in Menlo Park are being restriped between Ravenswood Avenue and Willow Road to make it a three-lane street with a center turn lane as part of a pilot program.

Thursday, 9:45 AM | 16 comments
Cities raise concerns about bill that extends streamlined approval for housing

Senate Bill 423 would indefinitely extend an existing law that creates a streamlined approval process for housing.

Thursday, 9:41 AM | 3 comments

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Ex-Apple engineer charged with theft of secrets for autonomous systems like self-driving cars

A former Apple engineer was indicted for theft of trade secrets related to autonomous systems, such as those used in self-driving cars, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

Wednesday, 5:34 PM | No comments yet
Menlo-Atherton High School students walk out of class to protest police brutality

Menlo-Atherton High School students left class in the middle of fourth period to protest the recent arrest of a student.

Wednesday, 11:53 AM | No comments yet
Appellate court rejects Elizabeth Holmes' motion to stay out of prison

In an order issued Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion by Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to stay out of prison while she appeals her wire fraud conviction.

Wednesday, 11:31 AM | 2 comments
'Completely unacceptable': Community members respond to M-A student arrest

Students, current and former staff members, and others expressed disappointment in how an April arrest of a student right off campus was handled by police and school administrators.

Wednesday, 11:26 AM | 21 comments
Settlement clears way for José Andrés restaurant to cook with gas in Palo Alto

Faced with a threat of a lawsuit, city administrators have reversed their earlier decision and will now allow the new restaurant that chef José Andrés plans to open at Stanford Shopping Center to use natural gas.

Wednesday, 11:10 AM | No comments yet

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

State officials say Woodside's housing element still needs work, with more revisions required for approval

State housing officials have once again sent Woodside's housing element back for revisions, but the latest feedback shows the town has made progress.

Tuesday, 11:05 AM | No comments yet

Monday, May 15, 2023

Motorcyclist killed in Skyline Boulevard crash identified as Boulder Creek resident

A motorcyclist who died in a collision over the weekend on Skyline Boulevard in San Mateo County has been identified as 58-year-old Eric Hull of Santa Cruz County, authorities said.

Monday, 5:39 PM | No comments yet
What's going on with Hangar One? Google's Planetary Ventures offers updates on Moffett Field landmark

Those who frequently drive the stretch of Highway 101 that passes through Mountain View know that Hangar One looks a whole lot different today than it did just one year ago.

Monday, 4:58 PM | No comments yet
A longtime Sacramento critic, Lydia Kou announces run for state Assembly

Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou, a staunch critic of California's approach to encourage more housing, announced on Monday that she plans to run for the state Assembly.

Monday, 11:59 AM | 2 comments
Local residents who have died recently

Local residents who have died recently include JoAnn Lois Schmidt, Anastasia Rutenberg, JoAnn Fonda and Rich Hlava.

Monday, 11:56 AM | No comments yet
Ten weeks after a landslide blocked Highway 84 near Woodside, local officials want to know when it will reopen

Two months after Highway 84 near Woodside was completely blocked by a landslide, elected officials are holding a public meeting on Friday, May 19, to discuss its prolonged closure.

Monday, 11:48 AM | No comments yet
Former high school superintendent lands new job at Pacifica School District

Darnise Williams, the Sequoia Union High School District superintendent who resigned her post amid allegations that she was forced out, will lead the Pacifica School District starting in the 2023-24 school year.

Monday, 11:36 AM | No comments yet

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