Community news

Plastic bag ban, are you ready?

The plastic bag ban is upon Tri-Valley and the rest of the County.

On Jan. 1, Alameda County will join San Francisco, San Mateo County, San Jose and 49 other California cities and counties in no longer providing single-use plastic bags at checkout — making reusable bags a must-have for any Bay Area resident, according to the latest release by the County.

All stores selling packaged food must charge a minimum of 10 cents for each paper bag.

The County’s release goes on to share tips on how to incorporate reusable bags into your holidays this year:

Save money and avoid the bag charge by bringing reusable bags while doing your holiday shopping. Get a head start on your New Year’s resolution!
Give friends and family reusable bags as gifts or stocking stuffers. Stylish, eco-friendly bags can be found at Etsy.com or for as little as $5 on Amazon.
Get in the DIY holiday spirit and craft your own reusable bag using only an old T-shirt and scissors (no sew). You can even personalize it with a favorite design or message for a loved one. See here for instructions.
For more information on Alameda County’s new ordinance, visit www.ReusableBagsAC.org.

What to do with your xmas tree

Pleasanton’s Boy Scout Troop 941 & Venture Crew 941 will be out in force on Saturday, Jan. 5. Register and donate here or call their voicemail service at (925) 399-1377 and register your reservation.

Residential Garbage Services:

AVI (Amador Valley Industries) will come by on your service day and pick up your trees starting Dec. 26th through Jan. 6th. Most cities have pickups available through residential garbage services.

James Young of Livermore explains he “feels an obligation to properly handle disposal responsibly, not just throwing it into a landfill somewhere.”

If you want to recycle your tree in your organics cart, you must make sure all limbs and the trunk is cut down so the lid closes all the way. Your organics cart will be picked up on your regular service day.

For any non-recyclable trees including flocked or tinseled, please call (925) 479-9545 for pickup.

Pleasanton Garbage Services says they will pick up tree that are placed curbside on Saturday, Jan. 12. Trees must be placed curbside the night before pickup and cut in four-foot sections. They ask that you remove all stands, tinsel, ornaments and lights.

Debbie Jeffrey of the Pleasanton Garbage Services wrote:

“Place Christmas tree cut in two foot sections inside your greenwaste container and it will be picked up on your regular pickup day. Pleasanton Residents may also bring Christmas trees to the Transfer Station at 3110 Busch Rd. free of charge until February 1, 2013.”

Ready to Fish?

It’s time to get bait and fish.

The state Department of Fish and Game will release thousands of trout into more than a dozen Bay Area lakes this month.

The DFG announced it would release more than 30,000 pounds of rainbow trout in Bay Area lakes during December. Some of the fish weigh as much as two pounds, according to the DFG.

In Alameda County the lakes include:

Horseshoe Lake
Lakeshore Park Pond
Shadow Cliff Lake
Temescal Lake
Lake Elizabeth
“We want to create opportunities for families to spend quality time together,” DFG acting regional manager Scott Wilson said. “Fishing, like many other outdoor pursuits, helps keep people connected to their natural environment,” Wilson said.

A complete list of Bay Area lakes to receive trout stock can be found online at

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fishinginthecity/sf/enhancebaystock.html.

New businesses opening in the area

Wondering what’s moving into your neighborhood shopping center? Our weekly Sprouts & Shutters column highlights the latest Tri-Valley restaurant, retail and other business news.

Livermore’s Yogurt Deluxe closed recently on Portola Avenue but the space already secured a new tenant: European Wax Center is set to move in Nov. 1. The national chain provides facial and body waxing including eyebrow, underarm, bikini, back and, yes, even ear and nose waxing. See more options at waxcenter.com.

Livermore’s 11th Anniversary Art Walk takes place Saturday downtown. You can browse works by local artists, listen to live music, taste local wines and shop for unique arts and crafts. The event, expected to draw thousands, takes place at the Livermore Valley Plaza (in front of the Bankhead), Blacksmith Square and various galleries and businesses throughout downtown from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information and a map of locations, visit artwalklivermore.org.

Swirl and Tap 25 host “Support Haiti on the Square” this Wednesday, featuring live French music and a gallery of photographs from Haiti. A portion of the proceeds from food and drink purchased at Swirl and Tap 25 benefit Extollo International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Haitians rebuild their country.

Branch out beyond Butter Pecan at Dublin’s new Nirvanaah, a new eatery that specializes in frozen desserts with an Indian flair. Sip a “Kulfi-Kooler” or scoop up ice cream flavors like rose petal, saffron and cardamon. The small Bay Area based dessert chain opened its newest location Sept. 24 next to New Indian Bazaar on Dublin Boulevard. Explore Nirvanaah’s frozen treats at nirvanaah.com.

Opening Update: Build-A-Bear reopened in the Stoneridge Shopping Center Friday, showing off a redesigned store that merges kid-friendly technology with its traditional hands-on bear making. Build-A-Bear now features new stations with touch screens where kids can add sounds and even scents like chocolate chip or cotton candy to their new toys. For more, see earlier Sprouts coverage.

Opening Update: Marco’s Pizza, previewed in a May column, opened in September on Koll Center Parkway next to the new Voodoo Kitchen. The national pizza chain also has a location in Livermore.

Opening Update: L&L Hawaiian BBQ, covered in a June column, opened Oct. 1 on Rosewood Drive across from Kohl’s in Pleasanton. Preview the menu at hawaiianbarbecue.com.

A new salon focusing exclusively on beautifying your eyes is set to open Oct. 15 in the Danville Livery in SXE Apparel’s old space next to Games Unlimited. ICandy Eye Salon offers eyebrow threading, eyelash extensions, eyebrow tinting and waxing plus make-up sessions and upkeep instruction. Can’t wait for the new location? You can visit ICandy’s Walnut Creek location now. Learn more at icandysalon.com.

A new veterinary center will open soon next to Starbucks in the Trader Joe’s shopping center in Danville. His Kingdom Animal Hospital will provide preventive care, emergency and critical care, surgery, digital x-ray and dentistry services.

Terra Patio & Garden opened Oct. 6 in San Ramon. The new sustainability-focused store carries teak patio furniture, benches, swings, umbrellas, swim spas eco-friendly fireplaces, plays structures, trampolines and more. The Bay Area outdoor furniture store chain replaced Berks Patio (formerly Frellen’s) on San Ramon Valley Boulevard. Learn more at terrapatio.com.

Vivien’s Therapeutic Massage opened last month on Crow Canyon Road in San Ramon. Owner and San Ramon resident Chao Hong Pan, a certified massage therapist, offers Swedish, deep tissue, hot stone, acupressure and reflexology massages. Learn more on the new studio’s website.

Livermore High School

Livermore High is one of two comprehensive high schools in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. It opened in 1891 with E.H. Walker as teacher and principal in one of the rooms of the Livermore Grammar School. The class of 1894 was the first to graduate from then Livermore Union High School, which previously was located on the site of what is now a Livermore Area Parks and Recreation District facility.

The school moved to its current location in 1930, starting with a new two-story building with 14 classrooms and an auditorium. The campus would see many additions over the years and now features classrooms in 15 different buildings and 28 portables. Darrel Avilla is the school principal.

Fax: 925-606-4851
Hours: Mon – Fri, 7:30am – 4pm; Sat, Sun, closed
Handicap Accessible: Yes
Number of students: 2,050
Public/Private: Public
Student-to-teacher ratio: 24:1
Parking: Free lot, On-street: free
Number of faculty: 83
Grade levels: 9 – 12
Special education: Yes
Features: Auditorium/stage, Cafeteria, Computer lab, Infirmary, Language lab, Library, Science lab, Sports facilities
Student clubs: Art, CSF, Civil War, Choose the Right, Close Up, debate, drama, fashion, Gay Straight Alliance, hiking, Ignited Youth, Interact, literary magazine, poetry, snowboard and ski, Music Honor Society
Sports teams: Cross country, football, golf, tennis, volleyball, water polo, baseball, diving, lacrosse, softball, swimming, track and field, basketball, soccer, wrestling

Livermore Valley Opera will perform highlights of La Boheme at free event on Sunday

Professional singers of the Livermore Valley Opera will perform highlights of their upcoming production of Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Livermore Public Library, 1188 S. Livermore Ave.

There is no charge for the event.

The opera is the story of a poet, a painter, a musician, a philosopher, a seamstress, and a singer. All have dreams larger than their wallets and the rent is past due. However, for all they lack in funds, they do not starve for either their love of life or each other.

The opera’s production of La Boheme will be at the Bankhead Theater in October as well as arias and duets from other famous operas.

The Friends of the Livermore Library have underwritten Sunday’s free program as part of the Friends Authors and Arts Series. For additional events, check the library’s website at www.livermorelibrary.net.

Pleasanton schools praised for meatless Mondays

The Humane Society of the United States is praising Pleasanton Unified School District in Alameda County for becoming the latest school district to join the international Meatless Monday movement.

Pleasanton Unified School District will participate in Meatless Monday by offering exclusively meat-free meals in its elementary cafeterias each Monday, promoting meat-free dishes at its upper grades on Mondays, and educating students about the health benefits of eating more meat-free meals.

“At Pleasanton Unified School District, we believe that healthy eating helps create healthy minds,” said Frank Castro, director of child nutrition services. “We’re participating in Meatless Monday to introduce our students to the wide variety of healthy, delicious plant-based foods available and encourage healthier eating decisions.”

“Choosing meat-free options just one day a week helps spare animals from factory farms, helps our environment, and improves our health,” said Kristie Middleton, food policy manager at The Humane Society of the United States. “We’re pleased that Pleasanton Unified School District is the latest district to show that being healthy can also be delicious.”

The Meatless Monday campaign, now a popular international movement, began in 2003 at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to promote cutting out meat one day a week for our health and the health of the planet.

Facts:

The Meatless Monday movement raises awareness about the animal welfare, environmental and public health impacts of industrial meat production.
According to Environmental Defense, “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetables and grains…the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads.”
Polls show that 50 percent of people in America are aware of Meatless Monday and that roughly one in five are participating in it.
Public figures, celebrities and athletes—including President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Rev. Al Sharpton, Russell Brand, Ozzy Ozbourne, Carl Lewis, Mike Tyson and Tony Gonzalez—have recently touted the advantages of eating less meat.

Yosemite Hanta Virus!

Yosemite National Park has issued a health alert for some visitors who stayed in the park from mid-June through the end of August.

An outbreak of hantavirus, spread mainly by the urine and feces of infected deer mice, has killed at least two people and possibly sickened an unknown number of other campers.

Those who possibly could be affected by the outbreak stayed in “Signature Tent Cabins” in Yosemite National Park’s Curry Village during that time period. The park is contacting 1,700 past visitors who may have been exposed to the disease.

If you think you may have been exposed, you should see your doctor immediately.

Deadly illness

According to the ? U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the hantavirus illness is deadly in 38 percent of patients.

People infected with hantavirus typically show symptoms one to five weeks after exposure.

Early symptoms often include:

fatigue
fever
muscle aches
headaches
dizziness
chills
abdominal problems (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain)

Late symptoms can include:

coughing
shortness of breath (lungs fill with fluid)

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Related Topics: Yosemite National Park and hantavirus outbreak

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Livermore to host little league finals

Sports, Local Connections
Livermore to Host 2013 Little League World Series
City of Livermore and Granada Little League will host in August 2013 a World Series baseball tournament.
By Patch Staff Email the author 5:59 am
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Here’s information provided by Little League Baseball:

The Little League International Board of Directors has named the site of a new World Series baseball tournament of Little League.

Livermore, Calif., and Granada Little League, will host in August 2013 the first World Series in the newest division of play. The new division, which will have a pitching distance of 50 feet, and base paths of 70 feet, is to be named later this year.

Several cities were considered over the past few months for the new baseball division’s World Series, including Vancouver, Wash., and Chicago.

“It was a difficult choice, since all the cities are so close in terms of what they have to offer,” Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, said. “Any of them, we are confident, would do a terrific job of hosting such a high-profile event. Ultimately, the Board of Directors settled on Northern California, the greater San Francisco area, Livermore, and Granada Little League, as its top choice.”

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