Palo Vol. XXVIII, Number 95 • Wednesday, September 5, 2007 ■ 50¢ Alto Midtown to lose route 88 Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.comw ww.PaloAltoO nline.com As time goes by For local businesses, old-fashioned style far from outdated Page 17 Marjan Sadoughi Marjan Talk about the news at Town Square, www.PaloAltoOnline.com ■ Upfront School district seeks funding for biotech lab Page 3 ■ Title Pages An elephant’s tale Page 21 ■ Sports Gunn’s big win highlights prep football openers Page 25 apr.com It's just one click to a complete list of virtually all homes for sale in the Bay Area. PALO ALTO Absolutely lovely North Palo Alto 4bd/2.5ba home with wonderful remodeled kitchen. Hardwood floors, over 9300+/- sf lot with mature landscaping. Fabulous neighborhood. $1,895,000 LOS ALTOS Rare Woodland Acres opportunity. Ranch style 5bd/3ba home on meandering tree-lined street. Separate dining room and grand formal living room. This lovely home has 3061+/-sf of living space on a 10081+/-sf lot. $1,750,000 PALO ALTO Delightful 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on a quiet cul- de-sac. Updated kitchen and baths. Spacious, beautifully landscaped lot. Excellent Palo Alto schools. $1,195,000 apr.com | PALO ALTO OFFICE 578 University Avenue 650.323.1111 APR COUNTIES | Santa Clara | San Mateo | San Francisco | Alameda | Contra Costa | Monterey | Santa Cruz Page 2 • Wednesday, September 5, 2007 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Midtown to lose route 88 bus line Valley Transportation Authority chine — the VTA Comprehensive gether along Louis Road, with the construction, either. Operations Analysis Plan (COA) exception of one bus to and from The new service also will shrink votes to reduce service in Palo Alto — they hope to create is designed Gunn High School. Midtown riders the number of passengers who can by Sue Dremann to make the countywide bus sys- will no longer have access to Cal- ride the route, as the VTA assigns a tem profitable. Cutting line 88 in train stations in Palo Alto, down- smaller, 25-seat bus to the line. idtown neighborhood resi- Transportation Authority Board of Midtown will save an estimated town, Stanford Shopping Center The 88 will operate between the dents will have a harder Directors to terminate part of bus $750,000 to $1 million, transpor- and Stanford Medical Center. The Veterans Administration Hospital M time getting around on route 88. tation authority officials said. route won’t provide a direct link and Mountain View Showers Drive mass transit come next January, Board members acknowledged The revised bus route — expect- from Midtown to the new Taube- Transit Center along Charleston, following a unanimous vote Thurs- the cuts are painful, but the new ed to start Jan. 14, 2008 — cuts Koret Campus for Jewish Life on Arastradero and San Antonio roads, day night by the Santa Clara Valley lean, mean, transit-operating ma- service to Midtown residents alto- Charleston Road, currently under (continued on page 5) SCHOOLS State funding may fast- track Gunn renovation Plans would add biotech lab, more vocational- education space by Arden Pennell onstruction to improve voca- tional facilities, including a C new biotechnology laborato- ry, may start as soon as next year at Gunn High School — if the school receives a state grant for which it recently applied. The school would use the approxi- mately $2.8 million to renovate its 12,900-square-foot industrial-arts building — which houses video pro- duction, automotive and engineering Norbert von der Groeben facilities — and construct a 4,300- square-foot lab alongside it, accord- ing to district officials. The renovation project is part of Gunn’s Master Plan. “The money would be used to re- configure and remodel the building so the programs could operate in a Chris Kreutzer: the man who went on a vacation and came back an explorer. He walked the perimeter of Fiji instead of tanning at the resort. more effective manner,” said Dave Hoshiwara, who coordinates the ing,” Kreutzer said, “I wanted to partment supervisor at Stanford Palo Alto Unified School District’s PEOPLE experience that for myself.” Hospital, is a dedicated runner, Vocational Education program. When Kreutzer realized after surfer and solo traveler. His solo Each student is required to take Afoot in Fiji walking a couple days it would trips have included a motorcycle two semesters of vocational-educa- be possible to make it around the ride across the U.S. and a visit to tion classes to graduate from Gunn. Palo Alto resident walks 300-mile island perimeter island during his June 21-July 1 China. Fiji was his first stop on a “The classes provide early experi- stay, he grew determined. six-week multi-continent trip in- ences as a gateway,” Gunn’s assistant by Lila Razzaqui “That’s when I looked farther; cluding the Australian outback, principal Tom Jacoubowsky said. “It hen Palo Alto resident six of the seven continents on the the longer days started coming,” Paris and New York. gives student interest or exposure. Chris Kreutzer, 26, va- globe,” Kreutzer explained. he said. Walking between eight to 15 They might ask, ‘Is this something W cationed in Fiji, he didn’t Even though Kreutzer consid- At one point in Kreutzer’s hours a day along the island’s I want to pursue at college?’” relax on the beach. He walked. ered the idea beforehand, it was life, the idea of walking around “King” and “Queen” main roads, One vocational class, the biotech- And walked. And walked. only upon arriving at the Nadi an island by himself might have Kreutzer planned his route us- nology course, combines practical Kreutzer’s 300-mile, 11-day airport that he decided to start the seemed far-fetched. His first out- ing an Avis car rental map from laboratory know-how with the study hike around Fiji island Vitu Levu walk and see how it went. His in- of-the-country journey didn’t oc- a desk at the airport. “It was a of DNA manipulation and structure. involved sleeping in villagers’ spiration came from other noted cur until after high school, when lousy map. It marked more Avis It fulfills both vocational educa- huts, walking through rural ex- walks, such as George Meegan’s he traveled to Europe with his stations than cities,” he said. tion and science requirements while panses and eating fallen sugarcane trek across the Americas and the father. During high school, the Kreutzer met many locals offer- lacking the prerequisites of other from trucks on the road. movie “Kintaro Walks Japan.” lifelong Palo Alto resident was un- ing rides or encouraging him to science courses, making it accessible “I really wanted to experience “They saw so much and expe- comfortable taking a public bus by take a bus or rental car. “But the to a range of students with different Fiji and not some resort that would rienced so much more than you himself, he recalled. walk was so amazing,” Kreutzer interests, instructor and program give me the same experience at would in any other form of travel- But these days, Kreutzer, a de- (continued on page 5) founder Geri Horsma said. (continued on page 5) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, September 5, 2007 • Page 3 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER Our William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors Keith Peters, Sports Editor Town Tyler Hanley, Online Editor by Don Kazak Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Don Kazak, Senior Staff Writer Becky Trout, Staff Writers So others can learn Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer atiana Grossman loves to read. Marjan Sadoughi, Staff Photographer The 12-year-old, who will be Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, I figured out it was Lynn Comeskey, Kit Davey, Tim Goode, Jack T a seventh grader at the Jewish McKinnon, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Day School in Palo Alto this fall, is something I could do Contributors on a quest so that others can have Rotem Ben-Shachar, Arden Pennell, Lila Razzaqui, Editorial Interns books to read, too. and wanted to do. Elizabeth Obreza, Arts & Entertainment Intern Tatiana aims to collect 1,000 chil- – Tatiana Grossman DESIGN dren’s books in 10 days and send Carol Hubenthal, Design Director them to a school in Botswana, Af- Diane Haas, Sue Peck, Senior Designers; Dana James, Paul Llewellyn, Charmaine rica, that doesn’t have a library. Mirsky, Scott Peterson, Designers Her effort may sound ambitious and there is a tattered copy of “Wee PRODUCTION except that she has collected more Sing,” a book of nursery rhymes Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager than 350 books already. She smiles complete with music scores. Dorothy Hassett, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators shyly when asked if she might top She reaches into a box of animal that goal of 1,000 books. flash cards to pull out an example ADVERTISING Vern Ingraham, Advertising Director She will set up a table at the Palo for beginning readers. Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Alto Children’s Library when it re- Tatiana is seeking preschool to Tony Gay, Janice Hoogner, Anna Mirsky, opens Sept. 29 after being closed fourth-grade books, although the Sonia Sebastian, Display Advertising Sales Kathryn Brottem, Real Estate Advertising Sales for expansion and refurbishing for books may also be read by slightly Joan Merritt, Real Estate Advertising Asst. almost two years. older children, too. Evie Marquez, Irene Schwartz, Classified Advertising Sales Library Manager Melinda Wing Botswana has the highest literacy High Holy Days 5768 Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst.