6°Ê888]Ê ÕLiÀÊÓäÊUÊiLÀÕ>ÀÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÓÊN 50¢ Armed robberies alarm residents Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.com THE REAL DEAL Paly grad Jeremy Lin grabs the national spotlight page 25 SUPPORTLOCALJOURNALISM.ORG Spectrum 10 Transitions 13 Eating Out 21 Movies 23 Puzzles 42 NNews What next for historic post offi ce building? Page 3 NArts Bang-up percussion concert at Stanford Page 17 NHome Weeds: not sweet, but very tasty Page 29 Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is devoted exclusively to expectant He’ll pick mothers and children. s&ULLYINTEGRATED/"ANDNEWBORN his birthday. SERVICESUNDERONEROOF s4ECHNICALLYADVANCEDLABORAND DELIVERYFACILITIES You pick his s/"ANESTHESIASERVICE s.ATIONALLYRECOGNIZEDOBSTETRICAND NEONATALCARE birthplace. s/NLINEPATIENTREGISTRATION To learn more about the benefits of giving birth at Packard Children’s, call (650) 497-8000 or visit deliver.lpch.org. Page 2ÊUÊiLÀÕ>ÀÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÓÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞ UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Residents shaken after armed robbery In Palo Alto, a man in his 20s ap- around and walk away. The victim hopped into the passenger side of a Valentine’s Day hold-up in Palo Alto neighborhood proached the victim at about 8:15 complied and was not harmed, po- waiting, dark-colored van, Menlo preceded similar attempt in Menlo Park p.m. on the 200 block of Walter lice said. Park police said. The van drove west by Sue Dremann Hays Drive near Stanley Way. He A half hour later, a man attempt- on Laurel Avenue. shined a flashlight into the victim’s ed to rob a 52-year-old Menlo Park The robber was described as a eople living in Palo Alto’s The Valentine’s Day incident was eyes and pointed a handgun at him, woman at gunpoint. He approached black male about 5 feet 10 inches Duveneck/St. Francis neigh- the first of two brazen attempts Palo Alto police said. The robber her on the 400 block of Laurel Av- tall. P borhood are on alert after a within 30 minutes of each other in demanded the victim’s wallet and enue near Gilbert Avenue, pointed Palo Alto residents living in the gun-wielding man robbed a resident Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Police ordered him to empty his pockets a handgun and demanded her wal- Walter Hays Drive area were jittery who was walking his dog on Tues- suspect both incidents were com- and drop everything on the ground. let. But when she told him she didn’t day night, Feb. 14. mitted by the same person. Then he told the victim to turn have any property on her, the man (continued on page 8) COMMUNITY Tall Tree honorees announced Awards recognize citizens, organizations for community work alo Alto’s 2012 Tall Tree awards will recognize Ali- P son Cormack, John Barton, Whole Foods Market and the Foun- dation for a College Education in April. The awards, which are co-spon- sored by the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce and the Palo Alto Weekly, honor community service and outstanding civic contributions in four categories: citizen volunteer, professional business person, busi- ness and nonprofit organization. The outstanding citizen award recognizes Cormack’s successful leadership of the $76 million library bond measure campaign in 2008 and the current, nearly completed effort to raise $4 million in private funds to furnish the city’s new and renovated libraries. Cormack and other library sup- Veronica Weber Veronica porters achieved a near-miracle by passing the bond measure with a 69.5 percent margin in spite of the global economic collapse just weeks before the November election. Who can resist these smart cookies? When the new Mitchell Park li- Girl Scouts, including Leanna Colanino, left, and Sashinka Poor from Palo Alto’s Troop 61129 await cookie customers in front of Peet’s brary opens later this year, it will Coffee & Tea at Town & Country Village in Palo Alto Wednesday, Feb. 15. Not to worry, cookies will be available through March 18. be the first major new civic build- ing constructed in Palo Alto in de- cades. The Palo Alto Library Foundation LAND USE announced in December that it had raised $3.6 million in donations for furnishings— 90 percent of its goal. Downtown post office set to hit market in May The funds will be used to provide U.S. Postal Service plans to relocate to a smaller facility in Palo Alto furniture, new computers and other technology, and thousands of new by Gennady Sheyner books and electronic materials at Mitchell Park, the renovated Main alo Alto’s iconic downtown post As the Palo Alto Weekly first re- hearing on the sale at the City Council a preference to retain between 3,000 Library and the recently renovated office, a fixture on Hamilton ported in December, the U.S. Postal meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 21. and 3,500 square feet in the existing Downtown Library. PAvenue for the past 80 years, Service is looking to sell the Birge But even as it plans to sell the build- building. Barton is being honored with the will hit the real-estate market by the Clark-designed building at 380 Ham- ing, the U.S. Postal Service says it’s Another alternative is moving to Tall Tree for outstanding profession- U.S. Postal Service in May, according ilton Ave. as part of its plan to cut costs committed to keeping a post office another location in or near down- al due to his extensive contributions to a new report from the city. And Palo and adjust to changing consumer be- downtown. In the report Steven Turner, town Palo Alto. Diana Alvarado, the to the community as an architect Alto officials are eying the historic havior. Representatives from the cash- Palo Alto’s advanced-planning man- building for possible use by the city. strapped agency will host a public ager, notes the agency has expressed (continued on page 7) (continued on page 6) *>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊiLÀÕ>ÀÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÓÊU Page 3 Concerned about your Upfront aging spouse or parent? 450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 QUOTE OF THE WEEK (650) 326-8210 ‘‘ PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor This is a personal crime. This feels Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Tom Gibboney, Spectrum Editor quite a bit more frightening. Sue Dremann, Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers — Karen White, president of the Duveneck/St. Eric Van Susteren, Editorial Assistant, Internship Francis Neighborhood Association, on this week’s Coordinator armed robbery. See story on page 3. There are daytime options! Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Kelsey Kienitz, Photo Intern Dale F. Bentson, Colin Becht, ‘‘ Come discover more at an evening reception: Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, y Learn about our two levels of daytime care Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, y Hear experiences of other families Susan Tavernetti, Contributors y Enjoy refreshments Cristina Wong, Editorial Intern y Free gift and free parking DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Around Town Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Thursday, Feb. 23, 7- 8:30 pm in Mountain View Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, LOST AND FOUND ... It took a na- new deli-bar — made possible by Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers tionwide manhunt, media exposure parents and the school district’s Lili Cao, Designer and the pluck of a conscientious Food Services group — comes PRODUCTION Long Island teacher, but the story atop a recently installed salad bar. Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager of the man who lost his camera The school hopes the expanded RSVP to (650) 289-5499 Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, www.avenidas.org/care Sales & Production Coordinators during the Super Bowl is now set menu will address the students’ Quality Daytime Care for Older Adults for a picture-perfect ending. Mary long-standing complaints about ADVERTISING Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Ellen McFaul, a New York resident, available food options at Gunn. Judie Block, Adam Carter, Janice Hoogner, accidentally took possession of the Brent Triantos, Display Advertising Sales camera after its owner asked her SPINNING WHEELS ... Palo Alto’s Neal Fine, Carolyn Oliver, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales to take a photo of him at the Feb. effort to encourage students to David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, 5 Super Bowl in Indianapolis. She walk and bike to school has been Inside Advertising Sales snapped several pictures with both one of the school district’s major Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Asst. his camera and his phone, and in success stories in the past decade Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. the post-game stadium craziness, thanks to a concerted effort by Wendy Suzuki, Advertising Sales Intern the two were separated. After school officials, parents and city EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES noticing she still had his camera, planners. Now, the city is looking Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator and no way to contact him, McFaul to kick the city’s Safe Routes to Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager examined the photos on his cam- School program into a higher gear. BUSINESS era for clues to his identity. One The City Council plans to approve Susie Ochoa, Payroll & Benefits a $400,000 contract with the firm Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Claire picture appeared to be a Palo Alto McGibeny, Cathy Stringari, Business Associates historic plaque, so she reached out Alta Planning + Design (the same ADMINISTRATION to the Palo Alto Weekly in hopes of consultant working on the upgrade # Janice Covolo, Doris Taylor, Receptionists locating the camera’s owner. She to the city’s bicycle and pedestrian Ruben Espinoza, Courier also created a YouTube video and master plan) at its Monday meet- EMBARCADERO MEDIA set up a special email address in ing.