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Menlo Park man killed by train identified The San Mateo County Coro- N NEWS BRIEFS north on El Camino Real. ner’s Office has identified the man Police spokesperson Nicole Acker killed by a train in Menlo Park on said the two stolen necklaces are Sunday (Sept. 12) as Stephen Ebaugh, 53, of Menlo both 18-karat gold chains, one with two charms. Their Park. combined value is approximately $260. Southbound train number 438 struck Mr. Ebaugh Detectives continue to investigate the robbery. Anyone with information about this crime can call on train tracks at Glenwood Avenue, north of the Menlo Park station, at about 5:14 p.m., Caltrain the police at 330-6300 or the anonymous tip hotline at 330-6395. spokeswoman Tasha Bartholomew said. Mr. Ebaugh was on the tracks for unknown reasons, and Caltrain’s official position is that he was Con man’s trial set trespassing, she added. Simon Gann, the con man who allegedly sweetNo further information is available yet about the talked a Menlo Park woman into a relationship accident. Ms. Bartholomew said this is the seventh and out of money by pretending to be a millionfatality for Caltrain this year. aire MIT graduate named “Saleem Dutante” who — Bay City News Service contributed to this report. could count cards “like Rainman,” pleaded not guilty at his Sept. 10 arraignment in San Mateo Menlo Park robber rips off necklaces County Superior Court. The 29-year-old man remains in custody on A 72-year-old woman strolling along the 300 block of El Camino Real on Saturday afternoon in $100,000 bail. Authorities tripled his initial bail Menlo Park confronted a robber intent on ripping after discovering Mr. Gann’s multiple convictions for fraud last year in Canada. Superior Court Judge off her necklaces. The suspect snatched three necklaces off the Lisa Novak scheduled a jury trial for Oct. 25. He’s charged with obtaining approximately woman’s neck, but his victim grabbed one back, police said. She sustained minor injuries during $1,900 under false pretenses and grand theft. He also racked up a charge of resisting arrest by the scuffle. Police described the robber as a Hispanic male attempting to evade Menlo Park police by hiding about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 140 pounds, in his accuser’s closet. If found guilty, Mr. Gann could serve up to four and around 18 to 23 years old. The suspect, wearing a white shirt, jumped into a black Honda waiting years in state prison, according to the district nearby driven by an unidentified person. The car fled attorney’s office.
SAIL AWAY
Contentious rezoning request comes back to council By Renee Batti Almanac News Editor
T
he contentious proposal to allow residents to build larger houses on smaller-than-typical lots on Atherton’s Parker Avenue is returning to the City Council on Wednesday, Sept. 15. The issue has divided residents on the small street of 21 single-family residents, with a robust minority of the residents framing the question as a matter of fairness. The question has gone before the council and Planning Commission numerous times in the
last two years, with the commission twice recommending against the change and the council wavering in its decision. Parker Avenue lots are less than 10,000 square feet, making them atypical of most Atherton lots, which are about one acre. However, Parker Avenue’s zoning is R1-A, which allows bigger houses on lots larger than 10,000 square feet, but significantly restricts buildings on smaller lots. Some Parker Avenue residents have urged the town to either change the R1-A zoning rules to give them more flexibility
Disaster-preparedness fair at USGS A free safety fair emphasizing family preparedness kicks off Saturday, Sept. 18, hosted by the Menlo Park branch of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and San Mateo County. Attendees can look forward to demonstrations of emergency equipment, survival tips, and tchotchkes. They can also learn basic CPR for free. The first 500 families to arrive will receive a mystery gift, said Leslie Gordon, USGS spokesperson. Seismologist Walter Mooney will give a lecture on lessons learned from the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, while economist Anne Wein will talk about what could happen if a massive storm strikes the Bay Area, Ms. Gordon said. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 2
N MENLO BRIEFS
p.m. at the USGS campus at 345 Middlefield Rd. Signs will be posted to show families where to go.
New pharmacy The arrival of a new pharmacy in Menlo Park has been greeted with less outrage than Beverages & More’s plans to open a local store, although Pharmaca Integrative also appears to be a chain retailer. The 4,700-square-foot Menlo Park store will be the 23rd pharmacy for its Colorado-based parent company. It will replace the Xanadu Gallery at 871 Santa Cruz Ave., which shut down in October 2009. Pharmaca spokesperson Elexis
CRUISE EVENT
to build additions and garage space, or to change their street’s zoning to R1-B, which is a zoning applied to a small number of Atherton streets, mostly surrounding Town Hall, that have lots smaller than one acre. A majority of Parker residents oppose a zoning change, as do a number of residents of surrounding streets, who say allowing larger houses on Parker would almost certainly mean that their backyard neighbors would extend their homes from the rear, See REZONING, page 16
Mariash said the store should open in early November. The company hosted a job fair last week in Palo Alto and 30 people attended, she said. The company plans to hire eight licensed practitioners to work in its newest store, which will offer conventional and alternative health care.
CRUISE SHOWCASE AND SALE September 19, 2010 12:00-3:00pm Stanford Park Hotel 100 El Camino Real Menlo Park
Call or click today for your free guest pass to the event. (Admission is $12.50 at the door.)
Smoking ordinance After taking an extended Labor Day weekend, the Menlo Park City Council meets again in council chambers at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14. On the agenda: Planned revisions to the city’s smoking ordinance, which would ban smoking in the common areas of housing units, and service areas like ATM lines, but allow pedestrians to smoke while walking along the street.
Sail Away is the Bay Area’s premier cruise event. Meet with cruise line representatives, gain expert insights and take advantage of special insider savings and amenities.
830 Menlo Ave, Menlo Park CST #: 2084430-10
(650) 328-2030 www.2010SailAway.com
Featuring guest representatives from:
September 15, 2010 N The Almanac N 9