Campbell gets $5.2M in grants for new library

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

Construction of the new Campbell Library is moving forward thanks to more than $5.2 million in grants.In December the City of Campbell and the Santa Clara County Library District received 4,718,450 in additional funding from the California State Library’s Building Forward Grant Program. The funds will be applied to safety and infrastructure improvements, including the conversion of the entire library into an all-electric facility and the addition of a new emergency generator to provide back-up power to the entire building in the event of a power outage. The grant helps cover escalated construction costs following the pandemic.Silicon Valley Clean Energy provided $500,000 toward efforts to eliminate natural gas usage in the 24,000-square-foot Campbell Library. These improvements have the potential to reduce long-term maintenance costs while enhancing citywide energy conservation efforts.Initial funding for the new library came from Measure O, a $50 million bond measure passed i...

Cupertino hosts Holi ‘Festival of Color’ April 2

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

Holi CupertinoCupertino Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free Holi event, “Cupertino Festival of Colors,” Sunday, April 2, 11 a.m.-4 .pm., at the Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Road.The family-friendly festival celebrates the arrival of spring and features food, music and the ubiquitous colored powders with which to adorn fellow festival goers. The city of Cupertino requires that all color be eco-friendly, and so the Chamber is asking folks not to bring their own powder. Bags of color will be available for $5 each.Free festival parking is available at De Anza College parking lot A & B. Register to attend at Eventbrite.com.Fire protection classAs storms batter California, fire prevention is likely far from residents’ minds. But officials say it’s never too early to prepare for the state’s ever-unpredictable fire season. Next Wednesday, April 5, Santa Clara County Fire is hosting an online course on how to protect your home from catching when wildfires are nearby. The...

Poor House hosts ‘Pave the Patio’ fundraiser

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

Neighborhood NotesROSE GARDEN>>More than a year after the Poor House Bistro pulled up stakes and moved—house and all—from its longtime location near Diridon Station, fans of the New Orleans-style restaurant and bar are still awaiting its reopening in Little Italy San Jose.Owner Jay Meduri hopes to open the Poor House doors this spring, but the restaurant literally needs to get back on solid footing before that happens. To that end, Meduri and crew are hosting “Pave the Patio” April 20 to raise money for the necessary pavers for the new location at 317 W. St. John St. Meanwhile, the Poor House is serving up food and music at both Mimosas of Willow Glen and Narrative Fermentations in downtown San Jose.The latter location is hosting the fundraiser, set for 5-9 p.m. at the brewery at 100 E. Alma Ave. Live music will be provided by the Maxx Cabello Jr. Band and the Rome Yamilov Band. A buffet of items from the Poor House menu will be served.Tickets are $30 at Eventbrite.com and $40...

‘Galloping Horses’: Saratoga Library hosts talk on Chinese artist

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

Art talk at libraryThe Saratoga Library is hosting an April 2 talk by Xu Fangfang, the daughter of Xu Beihong (1895-1953), widely known as the father of modern Chinese painting. Famous for his ink brush paintings of galloping horses, Xu Beihong integrated Chinese and Western painting and mentored generations of Chinese artists.Xu Fangfang will introduce her memoir, “Galloping Horses: Artist Xu Beihong and His Family in Mao’s China,” which describes how Xu Beihong’s family and legacy survived the political turbulence from 1949 through 1976.The talk is set for 2-3 p.m. Register at https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/events.Relationship inspirationCouples are invited to a seminar and date night on Saturday, April 1, 3-7 p.m., at Saratoga Federated Church.Tori Dabasinskas, LMFT, will be speaking to the power of story in relationship. Through a series of short talks and engaging exercises, couples will learn how they are wired in ways that help or inhibit connections with spouses and ot...

Spring brings music and romance to Peninsula stages

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

It’s spring, and love is in the air—and on the stage at Bus Barn Theater, where Los Altos Stage Company will open its production of “Harold and Maude” on April 13.Stanford grad Colin Higgins wrote the 1971 cult film and adapted his script about a quirky May-December romance for the stage a year later.Directed by LASC Executive Artistic Director Gary Landis, the dark romantic comedy features Lillian Bogovich as Maude and Max Mahle as Harold.The show runs through May 7. Tickets are $20-$40 at 650-941-0551 or www.losaltosstage.org.TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s April offering is equally heartfelt but more dramatic. “A Distinct Society” takes place in a quiet library that straddles the United States and Canada and becomes the battlefield for border control during the Muslim travel ban. Written by Kareem Fahmy, it was first presented locally in 2021 as part of the TheatreWorks New Works Festival.The play is directed by TheatreWorks’ Director of New Works Giovanna Sardelli and presented i...

Crews close Highway 17 for debris removal after storm

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

Highway 17 closuresCrews have been working to clear storm debris from Highway 17, and the work will continue through April 7. Several lanes will be closed on the northbound stretch of the highway between Summit Road and the Blossom Hill Road overcrossing next week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Wildfire preparednessAs storms batter California, fire prevention is likely far from residents’ minds. But officials say it’s never too early to prepare for the state’s ever-unpredictable fire season. Next Wednesday, April 5, Santa Clara County Fire is hosting an online course on how to protect your home when wildfires are nearby. The course runs 6:30-8:30 p.m., and an additional session will take place April 17. To register, visit SCCFD.Eventbrite.com.Easter celebrationsGet an early start on Easter celebrations this weekend with events at Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation and Los Gatos High School. LGS Recreation is hosting a watercolor painting class, where participants will create their own Easter cards...

Extra Dumping Weekend at Sunnyvale SMaRT Station

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

SMaRT weekendThe Sunnyvale SMaRT Station at 301 Carl Road is holding an Extra Dumping Weekend April 1-2, when Sunnyvale residents can dispose of nonhazardous garbage for no charge from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with proof of residency.Drivers with uncovered loads will be provided a tarp for a $15 fee. Vehicles are limited to a one-ton capacity, and trailers may not exceed 5 feet by 10 feet.Center for disaster responseSunnyvale’s new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is now up and running as a meeting place for staff to coordinate the city’s response in the event of a disaster or other major emergency. EOC staff trains periodically to ensure smooth operations during a disaster; the last training was held March 7.The new EOC is in a 11,000-square-foot building constructed as part of the civic center modernization project. It’s equipped with advanced audio and visual capabilities and other key features. It was designed with environmentally friendly materials to LEED gold standards. Earthq...

Collaborative show is in photographers’ wheelhouse — and in Willow Glen’s

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

Sunnyvale portrait photographer Suszi Lurie McFadden sees things how they are, while Palo Alto abstract photographer Brandon Stauffer sees things how they might be. The two shooters have combined their visions for “HumanEssence,” a show at Wheelhouse of Willow Glen in San Jose.“HumanEssence” pairs McFadden’s portraits with Stauffer’s abstract representations of same to illustrate how they can convey the same emotional resonance, and in the hopes that these pairings tell a story that is greater than the sum of its parts.McFadden says that when she proposed the collaboration, “My first thought was that the concept was really unique, but I wasn’t sure how it would work. However, as soon as Brandon and I began brainstorming, I knew we were creating something special.“I absolutely love seeing my portraits paired with Brandon’s abstracts,” she adds. “His art helps me see deeper into my own portraits, and the combinations speak to me in a way that even I didn’t expect.”Stauffer says the sh...

Russia: Drone caused blast far from Ukraine border, 3 hurt

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:56 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian authorities said Sunday a drone caused an explosion that injured three people in a town far from the border with Ukraine, but gave no word on the drone’s origin. The explosion occurred Sunday afternoon in the town of Kireyevsk, in the Tula region about 300 kilometers (180 miles) from the border with Ukraine and 175 kilometers (110 miles) south of Moscow. Russia’s state news agency RIA-Novosti cited local authorities as saying the explosion, which damaged some residential buildings, was caused by a drone but did not immediately give further details.The Latvia-based Russian news outlet Meduza reported that the blast left a crater about 15 meters (50 feet) in diameter and five meters deep (16 feet).THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Ukraine’s government on Sunday called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to “counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail” after Russian President Vladimir Puti...