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Basketball coaches dismissed after alleged hazing incident By Dave Boyce Almanac Staff Writer
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s the 2014 high school basketball season gets underway, the varsity and junior varsity teams at Woodside High School will be training under new head coaches. The varsity team is also engaged in rebuilding its morale after a hazing incident that allegedly occurred in December, James Lianides, the superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District, told the Almanac. As classes resumed after the winter break, Principal Diane Burbank dismissed varsity head coach Doug Fountain and the junior varsity head coach following an investigation into an alleged hazing incident of two varsity players during a preseason tournament in the city of Patterson, located southwest of Modesto in the Central Valley, according to Mr. Lianides. District officials allege that members of the varsity team taped the mouths of two varsity team members, including one
freshman, applied makeup to their faces, and forced them to watch Spanish-language TV “for a period of time,” Mr. Lianides said. Mr. Fountain was allegedly aware of the incident and may have witnessed some of it, Mr. Lianides said. The junior varsity coach allegedly had been aware of it but did not intervene and did not report it, Mr. Lianides said. Attorney Christopher Dolan, who is representing the family of one of the team members, provided a statement to the Almanac: “We have reached out to the district and hope we can work collaboratively to resolve these issues. The best interests of the children are to try and work with the school cooperatively and in a discrete manner. ... The family is hoping no legal action will be needed.” Mr. Fountain was in his second year as head coach and came to Woodside with a long track record and good references, Mr. Lianides said. Mr. Fountain was in his sec-
ond year as head coach and came to Woodside with a long track record and good references, Mr. Lianides said. An email from a parent triggered the investigation, Mr. Lianides said. A couple of days of investigation led to enough evidence to justify the dismissals, Mr. Lianides said. Ms. Burbank was not available for an interview. Mr. Fountain was “certainly forthcoming (as to) what occurred,” Mr. Lianides said. The members of the varsity team, and parents of team members, have participated in three hours of a six-hour program on empathy and sensitivity in understanding others, Mr. Lianides said. Another three-hour session is ahead. Woodside resident and former professional basketball player Rich Kelly has gotten involved to help rebuild morale on the team as the season gets underway, Mr. Lianides said. The Almanac was unable to reach Mr. Fountain for comment. A
Couple arraigned in stolen Porsche case A San Jose couple suspected of involvement in several Peninsula burglaries and the theft in September of a Porsche from a Portola Valley home pleaded not guilty to eight counts of residential burglary and related charges, according to San Mateo County prosecutors. Juan Carlos Ortega-Ramos and Ashley Lynn Kirk, both 24 years old, entered their not-guilty pleas at a Jan. 15 arraignment before Judge John Grandsaert in San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City. Both remain in custody on $500,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. A license-plate check on a Porsche 911S parked on a Bel-
Juan Ortega-Ramos and Ashley Lynn Kirk entered not-guilty pleas.
mont street on Sept. 11, 2013, led to a report that the car had been stolen earlier that day from a home on Hillbrook Drive in Portola Valley, prosecutors said. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office got involved and located and arrested Mr. Ramos and Ms. Kirk. The couple worked as a team,
Woman using fake license gets $8,300 check from teller A woman carrying a fake Florida driver’s license walked into the Chase bank in Ladera on Dec. 30 and convinced a teller to give her a cashier’s check for $8,300 drawn from the account of a woman living in New York, according to a report from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. According to the report, the suspect presented to the teller a
false Florida driver’s license and identified herself as the New York resident, but said that she could not remember her account number. The license did not include a photo, deputies said. The teller looked up the account number for her, withdrew the $8,300, made out the check and handed it to the woman with no further
prosecutors said. Ms. Kirk worked for PetSmart and allegedly gathered information from customers boarding their pets at the San Carlos location while they were out of town. She would then pass that information on to Mr. Ramos, who then allegedly burgled the homes, stealing electronic equipment, jewelry and other property, including the Porsche, prosecutors said. All the missing goods from the Hillbrook Drive burglary have been recovered, as have some goods connected to other burglaries, deputies said. Detectives are looking at the couple in connection with several other Peninsula burglaries, prosecutors said.
inquiries into her identity, the report says. The manager of the Ladera branch declined to comment except to say that Chase officials were working on the case with sheriff’s investigators. The bank reimbursed the New York resident for the full amount of the check, the report says. The New York resident apparently lived in Florida in 2004, and claims that the suspect used her Florida identity information to reproduce a driver’s license, the report says.
REAL ESTATE TRENDS by Samia Cullen
Annual Local Real Estate Market Activity and Trends The local housing market experienced another year of exceptional strength in 2013. The Bay Area saw stellar growth with IPOs and buyouts creating a new wave of millionaires. Private sales were mostly in the upper-end market and are not factored into my statistics. Low mortgage rates and job stability continue to motivate buyers. The increase of foreign cash investors and scarce inventories created a bidding frenzy. As a result, most homes saw multiple offers with cash buyers dominating the winning bids. In 2013 single-family home sales totaled 396 in Palo Alto, 336 in Menlo Park, 97 in Atherton, 78 in Portola Valley and 110 in Woodside. The median single family home price increased 22% in Palo Alto to $2,100,000, 12% in Menlo Park to $1,658,000, 16% in Atherton to $3,575,000, 3% in Portola Valley to $2,268,000 and 28% in Woodside to $2,052,000. The townhouse/condominium market was also strong in Palo Alto with the median sale price increasing 7%.
Menlo Park saw a median price decrease of 5%. Looking forward: The local housing market is poised for continued growth and there are positive elements in play that provide some reasons for optimism and dispel the worry about a bubble market. Interest rates are still extremely low, unemployment is inching down, and buyers are investing more into purchases of new properties. Higher down payments suggest that buyers don’t intend to make the same mistakes the second time around. Real estate has always been a great way to build wealth and financial stability. I project a 10% increase in home prices this coming year. But make sure to complete the necessary detailed analysis before you decide how much to bid on that house or whether to bid at all. For sellers, there is no better time to sell your home. For buyers, if you have a stable income, it is good time to buy before further increases in interest rates and house prices occur.
Statistic sources are provided by MLS deemed reliable but not guaranteed and exclude private sales.
I offer complimentary staging when I list your home. Contact me at Alain Pinel Realtors (650) 384-5392 or send me an email at scullen@apr.com. Follow my blog at samiacullen.com
WOODSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Woodside Preschool Registration 2014 Please join us for a Woodside Preschool Open House and Visitation Friday January 31st from 8:30-10:00 a.m. (adults only) Woodside Elementary School District will be accepting applications for the Fall 2014 Preschool Classes beginning February 1, 2014 Woodside Preschool is a half-day, fee-based program running from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.(optional Extended Day available). Children must be at least 2 years, 7 months old as of September 1st, 2014 in order to apply. Preschool students are placed in either the Preschool or Pre-K class based on age and availability. Priority is given to children living within the Woodside School District boundaries. Interested families are encouraged to attend our Open House and fill out an application. Applications will be available for pick up at the elementary school office or download online beginning February 1st. For more information regarding Woodside Preschool please contact Tom Limbert at tlimbert@woodsideschool.us, (650) 851-1571 ext 250 or visit our website at www.woodside.k12.ca.us
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