Menlo Park man pleads not guilty to burglaries
An 18-year-old Menlo Park man pleaded not guilty in San Mateo County Superior Court on Tuesday to engaging in a series of residential burglaries with a juvenile accomplice. (Wednesday, 4:23 PM)

Former Olympic swimming coach diagnosed with brain cancer
Richard Quick, a former resident of Menlo Park and one of the most successful swimming coaches on the planet, has been diagnosed with an inoperable cancerous brain tumor, the Stanford athletic department announced Tuesday. He will turn 66 on Jan. 31. Quick won seven of his 12 NCAA titles at Stanford and served as U.S. Olympic coach for six Olympics. He retired from Stanford in 2005. (Wednesday, 5:28 AM)

Two local athletes arrested in iPod robbery
The strongarm robbery of an iPod Touch from a youth who was knocked off his skateboard in north Palo Alto Friday evening led to the arrest of six males, including Menlo-Atherton High football standout Vaughn Smith, 18, of Menlo Park. Smith helped lead the Bears to the 2008 Central Coast Section Large School Division title this past season. (Wednesday, 4:21 PM)

A cure for health care blues?
Harold S. Luft says he has the cure for the nation's ailing health care system. The director of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute has penned a new book explaining his solution, and will be discussing it and signing copies at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Kepler's, 1010 El Camino Real in Menlo Park. (Monday, 3:48 PM)

AROUND TOWN links
■ Workshop Jan. 7 on helping girls fight esteem-wrecking images
■ Blood center planning events to attract donors
■ Creek planting in Menlo Park on Jan. 10
■ Events for next seven days (use Ctrl-f to search)
(Wednesday, 12:22 PM)

Penzeys Spices opens in downtown Menlo Park
Can a store devoted only to spices succeed in these hard economic times? The people at Penzeys Spices, which opened in November in downtown Menlo Park, think so. After all, even in the worst of times, people have to eat. And if they're not dining out as often, cooks become more creative at home. Photo by Michelle Le/The Almanac. (Wednesday, 6:16 AM)

Police search for two who robbed Le Boulanger
Menlo Park police are searching for two men in their late teens or early 20s, one armed with a knife, who robbed the Le Boulanger cafe in downtown Menlo Park on Sunday night and injured an employee during a struggle.
(Monday, 6:43 PM)

No parole for Chowchilla school bus kidnapper
A state Board of Parole Hearings panel Monday night once again denied parole for one of three men -- all from wealthy families in Atherton and Portola Valley -- who in 1976 kidnapped a busload of schoolchildren from Chowchilla in the Central Valley and buried them in a quarry in Livermore.
(Tuesday, 12:09 AM)

New artists at Portola Art Gallery
Tomiko Bailey, who painted this picture of the Carmel Mission, is among eight new artists showing works at the Portola Art Gallery in Menlo Park during January. A reception for the artists, including Nancy Wagstaff of Atherton, will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the gallery at Allied Arts Guild, 75 Arbor Road in Menlo Park. (Wednesday, 5:18 AM)

Peninsula's largest shelter may close
With the recent spike in foreclosures putting a higher burden than ever on the Peninsula's temporary housing agencies, the largest of those organizations might be forced to close its Menlo Park facility. (Monday, 12:27 PM)

Overnight closures of northbound 101 planned
Northbound U.S. 101 will be closed between Third Avenue in San Mateo and Broadway in Burlingame from midnight until 5 a.m. Thursday through Saturday to allow crews to continue construction of the Peninsula Avenue overcrossing. (Wednesday, 5:10 AM)

City seeks members for 'visioning' committee
The city of Menlo Park is seeking applications from people who want to serve on a committee charged with overseeing the second stage of the El Camino Real/downtown area "visioning" process.
(Tuesday, 3:35 PM)

High number of pelican deaths worry Bay Area rescue group
A Bay Area wildlife rescue organization is investigating why an inordinate number of sick and deceased adult brown pelicans have been found along the California coast since Wednesday. Rebecca Dmytryk, who operates the rescue nonprofit WildRescue with her husband Duane Titus, said more than 50 recently deceased adult brown pelicans have been recovered from San Diego to San Francisco. (Monday, 3:33 PM)

Town holds emergency-response classes
Portola Valley's Emergency Preparedness Committee is inviting residents to learn how to respond to an emergency such as an earthquake, wildfire or terrorist attack.
(Tuesday, 6:54 AM)

SPORTS links
■ Prep sports scores, game details from Palo Alto Online.
(Wednesday, 12:22 PM)

Laurel principal announces retirement
When school lets out for summer, Laurel School principal Nancy Hendry will be leaving for good. Ms. Hendry, who has led the Atherton elementary school for the past 19 years, announced on Jan. 5 that she plans to retire in June. (Monday, 5:47 PM)

LOCAL WEB SITES
Links to local organizations, community resources
Have a suggestion for a link? Send it to us
(Wednesday, 12:22 PM)

• Winter spare the air alert issued (Sunday, 4:30 PM)
• Peter Mason chosen as mayor of Woodside (Sunday, 10:49 AM)
• Woodside: Rewriting land-use plan (Monday, 12:38 PM)
• East Palo Alto man shot Sunday night (Monday, 11:57 AM)
• Green Ribbon panel moves into new phase (Sunday, 9:15 AM)
• Woman killed by Caltrain is identified (Friday, 1:58 PM)
• Boy, 16, dies from stab injuries (Monday, 7:54 AM)
• East Palo Alto man shot in both legs (Friday, 7:46 AM)
• Showing the flag (Friday, 8:36 AM)
• Atherton: Jerry Carlson picked as mayor (Monday, 8:10 AM)
• Snowpack 76 percent of normal, officials say (Thursday, 8:22 AM)

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