 Latest 49er News: 49ers Stadium Going to the BallotAfter several months of lingering discussions, hours upon hours of City Council hearings and meetings and a bevy of public input, Santa Clara City Council voted unanimously, 7-0 in favor of placing the San Francisco 49ers stadium proposal on the November 2008 ballot.
Due to CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) restrictions... Click Here for Complete Story |
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SaveBAREC Says Defeat of Measures A&B Will Launch New Discussion of BAREC Future
If Measures A & B pass (namely, if the "Yes on A & B" side prevails), then the land will be developed with 110 single-family homes and 162 senior units)...Click Here for Complete Story
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State Favors Plan for BAREC
In February, Santa Clara voters are going to decide whether or not to go forward with the proposed Santa Clara Gardens development project for the for former UC Agricultural Research Station (BAREC) on Winchester Blvd. Click Here for Complete Story
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 Earthquakes Rattle Santa ClaraBy Robert Haugh
Christening their new home field in front of a capacity, standing-room-only crowd, the two-time MLS champion San Jose Earthquakes valiantly tried capturing a victory in their Buck Shaw Stadium debut in Santa Clara, coming shy of the win, tying FC Dallas 0-0.
Earthquakes management is proud of their new home turf, stating that it’s reminiscent of their former home field at Spartan Stadium in San Jose.
“This day is the one we’ve been looking forward to for a long time, this stadium is going to be our real home stadium,” said Earthquak
es Head Coach Frank Yallop. “It’s very nice. It looks and feels like a stadium now.” The sellout crowd --- 10,515 fans --- including over 200 standing-room-only seats added for the crowd, exceeding Buck Shaw’s maximum capacity of 10,300 made the Earthquakes debut at Santa Clara University the largest-attended game in the nearly 50-year history of the fabled stadium.
Prior to the Earthquakes inaugural Buck Shaw Stadium visit, the stadium’s largest attendance was 8,800 (December 6 and 8) in 1996 when the largest crowds ever gathered to witness an NCAA Women’s Championship game.
“First and foremost, the crowd needs to be involved,” said Earthquakes Goalkeeper Joe Cannon, referring to the intimate setting of Buck Shaw Stadium. Cannon, a 1997 All-American at SCU, says he’s glad to be “back at home again.” Cannon is a Los Altos Hills native. Click Here for Complete Story
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 Arbor Day Teaches Green Lessons under a Blue Sky
Annual Arbor Day Celebration Mixes Learning with Fun
Arbor Day has a long tradition in Santa Clara. Last Friday, as in the past, local elementary school students gathered last Friday at the Triton Museum grounds to celebrate the day.
With idyllic sunny weather for the event, children learned about conservation, enjoyed entertainment from local favorites -- including master of ceremonies and magician Phil Ackerly and jazz musician Ike Cosse -- and about 1,000 hot dogs cooked and served by Santa Clara Kiwanis Club. Santa Clara Streets Department employees did the heavy lifting – literally – for the event. Click Here for Complete Story
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 43 Years of Ribits
All schools have mascots. Many schools use animals as their mascot. Mascots seem to range from eagles to bears to dogs to frogs to wildcats and to horses. But it’s not many schools that actually have an activity involved with their mascot. One school in particular has carried on a tradition of celebrating their mascot, and last Friday, that tradition took place for the 43rd time. Sutter Elementary School celebrated their mascot in what at first glance, seemed a somewhat quixotic way, but on closer look, makes more than enough sense and is fun for everyone too.
Friday, April 25, was the day set aside for Sutter’s Annual Frog Jumping Contest. Started 43 years ago by two teachers who visited the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee, ... Click Here for Complete Story
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 Local Author Writes Asian Christian Chick Lit
In the book Sushi for One? protagonist Lex Sakai finds herself the oldest single female in her traditional Japanese American family. Lex utilizes her Bible study class to reflect on the qualities of the perfect man and is frustrated when her expectations aren’t met. When Lex finally leaves her love life to God, the romance finally falls into place.
Sometimes when authors write, they aim for one particular genre. When writer Camy Tang wrote Sushi for One? her work covered all its bases by encompassing the Asian American experience, Christian living and the romance typical of chick lit. A bubbly and cheerful woman, Tang happily shares the basis for her writing. Click Here for Complete Story
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All's Well Ends Well in Church Windows Controversy
Christmas finally came in April for Our Mother of Perpetual Oratory when the church got the go-ahead from the City Planning Department to install its new stained glass windows, warehoused since November.
"The results of many prayers and much hard practical work and hard negotiations have led to this successful outcome," says church representative Patrick Clark. "It has been a lengthy process that has now come to a successful conclusion."
The dispute illustrates that historic preservation questions are anything but simple to decide.
Last year, the church commissioned new stained glass windows to replace the plain glass ones in its century-old building on Monroe Street. Church representatives have said that their understanding from earlier conversations with. Click Here for Complete Story
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San Francisco 49ers Search for 2008 Community Quarterback
Local residents encouraged to nominate their favorite Community Hero
The San Francisco 49ers are looking for dedicated individuals of all ages who are making a difference in their community. The 49ers Community Quarterback Program recognizes community and youth volunteers who demonstrate leadership, dedication and commitment to bettering their San Francisco Bay Area communities.
One award winner will receive $10,000 for his/her charity and five finalists will receive... Click Here for Complete Story
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Seeing with an Artist's Eye
The essence of the photographer's art is the art of seeing. Santa Clara photographer Gary Balaschak uses his camera to frame scenes that most of us see every day. And by doing so, Balaschak's work opens up entirely new perspectives on the commonplace.
In this month's Silicon Valley Open Studios (SVOS) art tour, visitors will be able to see Balaschak's black and white photographs taken over the last three decades – including AVArtfest (Alliance of Visual Artists) award-winning pieces -- in the studio behind his historic Monroe St. home. Click Here for Complete Story
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Santa Clara Becomes Second Largest Green Power Community in the United States
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named the City of Santa Clara a Green Power Community, making the City only one of 14 communities to receive such an honor. Santa Clara ranks as the second largest Green Power Community, both in terms of population and size of its green power commitment–57 million kilowatt-hours annually. Together, the 14 communities are protecting the environment by purchasing nearly 300 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually.
“Santa Clara is known for its concern for the environment, so it is wonderful to receive national recognition for our ongoing commitment to renewable energy,” says Patricia Mahan... Click Here for Complete Story
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Upcoming Relay for Life Raises Cancer Research Dollars and Awareness
Cancer does its evil work around the clock. That’s why the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life runs for a full 24 hours.
This year’s annual Santa Clara Relay For Life will take place Saturday, May 17 through Sunday, May 18 at Townsend Field. Last year's event raised a record-breaking $72,000. Nearly half that amount has already been pledged for this year's Relay, according to the ACS website.
The event begins on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. with the first lap of the day, the Survivors’ lap. Cancer survivors walk this together, with music and crowds of participants cheering them on. Click Here for Complete Story
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Candidates for Assembly Fail to Close the Deal With Influential Democratic Club
Last week, three of the four Democratic candidates for the state Assembly District 22 -- Dominic Caserta, Paul Fong and Anna Song -- came to Santa Clara to lobby for the endorsement of the Santa Clara County Democratic Club at the group's monthly dinner meeting. With two of the three candidates Santa Clara residents, the race holds unusual interest for the City. Click Here for Complete Story |
| Arts and Entertainment |
| | Travel: Majestic Eastern Sierra and More
As many times as we’ve visited Yosemite, we never ventured over Tioga Pass within the park to the Eastern Sierras. Big mistake!
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| | Movie Review: Wall-E
Wall-E is the latest Pixar all CG (computer generated) kids film that is set to earn a jillion dollars at the box office...
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| | Movie Review: The Happening
In The Happening the wind and trees get together to wreck havoc on the human race.
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| | Movie Review: Sex and the City
Based on the popular HBO TV series Sex and the City makes it to the big screen 10 years after the series premier and 4 years after it ceased production.
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| Critics Corner |
| | Razz on Wine: July 16, 2008
I thought I'd give you a list of some pretty nice wines to have with your selections for the summertime grill.
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| Weekly Columns |
| | Work Daze: July 16, 2008
OK, fatty. Put down that jelly donut and step away from the conference table.
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| | No Guarantees: July 16, 2008
I meet Sandy at the off ramp of Highway 280 and Saratoga Ave, as I wait through a red light. She's wearing a blue cap and holding a cardboard sign ...
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| Monthly Columns |
| | Looking Back: July 2008
Headlines from Santa Clara newspapers of 100 years ago and 50 years ago
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| | Ms. Power Plug: June 2008
How much money can I really save by conserving water in my home? A few cents here and there doesn’t excite me much.
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