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Andrea Koskey

Kids save grandmother with 911 call

Juan Carlos Pometta Betancourt/Special to The Examiner
When Rachel Sheynblat’s grandmother stopped responding to her, she knew she needed to get help. The 6-year-old — who was in the backseat of the car — ripped a cell phone out of her grandmother’s hand and handed it to her brother Ethan to call for help. “It was really scary,” Rachel said. “She was shaking” Rachel’s grandmother was having a seizure, according to the child’s mother Regina Sheynblat, and because they were in the car, neither authorities, nor Regina could locate the vehicle. Read More

Daly City Styrofoam ban would be pricey

Courtesy of Ian Bulter
A visit to the beach in Daly City started a conversation about the city banning polystyrene products — more commonly known as Styrofoam. City councilman David Canepa said a recent visit to an area known as the Secret Waterfall — the end of a creek that meets the coastline through a pipeline 100 feet from the ground — at the Daly City-Pacifica border, where piles of Styrofoam lined the beach, was one reason he would like to start the discussion. Read More

Stores gear up for Valentine's Day sugar rush

Juan Carlos Pometta Betancourt/Special to The Examiner
Since men tend to procrastinate when shopping, Valentine’s Day poses a challenge for chocolate companies trying to anticipate crowds and stack stores with supplies and employees. Richard Van Doren, vice president of marketing for See’s Candies, said Feb. 13 and 14 are the South San Francisco-based company’s biggest sales days because it is men typically shopping for their significant others. “Men procrastinate,” he said “But we give them free samples to keep them happy while they wait.” Read More

Healthcare district keeps nonprofits healthy

Dan UllyotThe doctor and chairman of the board for the Peninsula Health Care District helped give out $2 million in grants this year to 10 local nonprofits. In the past 14 years, the organization has given away in excess of $17 million. What do you look for when reviewing applications? We look at the impact the organization will make on the physical and mental health of people in the district. It’s a vague answer, but we bore down to the detail. Read More

Plans for former Bay Meadows site gallop toward finish line

Courtesy Rendering
The development at the former Bay Meadows racetrack could take a turn toward the home stretch as early as next summer. The plan to build at the former horse racetrack comes after developers announced in May they would indefinitely postpone building until the housing market firmed up. An estimated 88 condominiums and 256 townhomes could begin appearing on 12 acres of the northern section of the 83.5-acre project, said Genelle Ball, project manager with Wilson Meany Sullivan, a development firm in San Francisco. Read More

Schools pour $5.4M into swimming pools

Getty Images
A shift in swimming habits during the past half-century is a driving force behind the upgrades at four San Mateo Union High School District pools. Project Manager Todd Lee said the four pools currently have an area for lap swimming and an area for diving, but the world of swimming has changed in the past 50 years. “No one dives anymore,” he said. “It’s a different configuration. It will be one single pool instead of two.” Read More

Four facilities to get upgrades to meet current standards

Getty Images File Photo
A shift in swimming habits during the past half-century is a driving force behind the upgrades at four San Mateo Union High School District pools.Project Manager Todd Lee said the four pools currently have an area for lap swimming and an area for diving, but the world of swimming has changed in the past 50 years.“No one dives anymore,” he said. “It’s a different configuration. It will be one single pool instead of two.” Read More

San Mateo County 'boot camp' aims to aid job hunters

With San Mateo County’s unemployment rate hovering around 9 percent, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier is stepping up efforts to help residents obtain interview skills and potentially land jobs. The San Mateo Democrat, along with San Mateo County Supervisor Mark Church, will host “Job Hunters Boot Camp” on Thursday. The one-day workshop will feature one-on-one résumé counseling and feature speakers including CEOs and human resource representatives from large local corporations to talk about the job climate. Read More

San Mateo green development plan spurred by neighbors

Juan Carlos Pometta Betancourt/Special to The Examiner
A proposed 52-unit apartment complex in San Mateo that would bring green energy and high-density housing is heading to the Planning Commission this week. The project — located at 120 Tilton Ave., known as Magnolia Terrace — will include solar panels and green building material during construction, as well as a water system to catch rainwater and irrigate the property. “We’re learning a lot as we go,” owner and developer Tim O’Riordan said. “We’re using solar-thermal heating and cleaner sustainable products.” Read More

Redwood City dredging lagoon to improve water flow

Courtesy photo
Almost every day for the next six weeks, Carole Wong will wake up in her Redwood Shores home to the sound of heavy machinery cleaning the bottom of the lagoons. Though the 55-year-old resident said the work can be a nuisance, she said getting the lagoons clean is a priority. “I hear it all the time,” Wong said. “Some people see it as an annoyance, but when the other alternative is not having the lagoon dredged and the water level higher, this is a temporary inconvenience.” Read More

Peninsula cities enter the green-loan business

Juan Carlos Pometta Betancourt/Special to The Examiner
Gene Klein, CEO of Barker Blue Digital Imaging in San Mateo, said his company wanted to install $1.5 million worth of solar panels two years ago — roughly 17,000 square feet — but finding funding proved difficult. He said not all banks understood the business investment, making it difficult for his company to do the project. “Some wanted to give us a real estate loan,” he said. “They couldn’t get their heads wrapped around an energy investment.” Read More

Safeway fight in Burlingame faces next round

Mike Koozmin/Special to The Examiner
A battle in Burlingame that has lasted more than a decade over plans to replace an old Safeway shopping center with a larger market and another new development may be heading into its final rounds of fighting. On July 29, revised plans were submitted to the city for the Safeway project, which the company said addressed concerns brought up during a June 22 study session. Read More

Examiner corrects eatery story

Examiner file photo
Due to an editing error, 17 establishments that serve food were misrepresented in the box accompanying the Jan. 7 story “Finding the cleanest restaurant.” The 17 establishments were reported as having a “poor” health inspection rating from the Environmental Health Department of San Mateo County. However, each of the 17 establishments received a subsequent health inspection and an improved rating ranging from “fair” to “excellent.” Read More

Group needs wheels to transport youth

Courtesy photo
Nonprofit agency Spark has been working for the past year to find a vehicle to transport more than 100 youths to and from internships, but has been unsuccessful so far. A vehicle may become available to the agency if SamTrans is able to implement a program that would enable nonprofits to borrow unused vehicles from government agencies or private entities. Read More

Two Peninsula colleges closed due to power outages

Nearly 20,000 students expecting to start their spring semester at schools in the San Mateo Community Colleges District will remain home today after the wind and rain storm moving through the Bay Area knocked out power at the college campuses.District officials canceled all classes at the College of San Mateo and Canada College through 5 p.m.District spokeswoman Barbara Christensen said power was knocked out at both schools around 6:30 a.m. She said PG&E is working to fix the problem. Read More
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