A 24-year-old man was arrested Nov. 14 on charges of stealing a car, possession of stolen property, evading arrest and a hit and run.

Campbell police were notified at about 8 p.m. by San Jose police about the possible location of a black 2006 Mercedes Benz that had been stolen from a Monterey County dealership earlier in the day.

Police found the car being driven out of the Fry's Electronics' parking lot.

According to police, the driver, Naheed Hamed, accelerated onto southbound Highway 17 and was clocked at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Three officers pursued the car until the chase ended near Camden Avenue.

A short time later the Mercedes was found crashed into a tree on the Lark Avenue off-ramp. Hamed was found hiding in a yard about a quarter-mile from the collision, police said.

The California Highway Patrol and San Jose police also aided in the search.

Hamed was out on bail on a charge of stealing another 2006 Mercedes two weeks prior to the Nov. 14 incident. He was on probation for auto theft and firearm violations, and was taken in to custody.

School board denies charter request

The Moreland School District Board of Trustees voted 3-2 to deny Discovery Charter School's petition on Nov. 22, disappointing many parents who came to Moreland for its parent participation program.

Superintendent Les Adelson recommended the Moreland board of trustees deny the charter because "the petitioners are demonstrably unlikely to successfully implement the program," mainly because of the mandatory parent participation requirement. His report claimed that "the charter school's parent labor requirement constitutes unlawful tuition," which is illegal in public schools.

Board members Robert Varich, Taleen Nazarian and Jim Macfarlane voted to accept the superintendent's recommendations and deny the charter. Lori Booroojian and Timothy Cassell voted against denying the charter.

The Discovery Charter School Development Group hoped to create a K-8 charter school based on the parent participation program at Moreland Discovery, which closed and merged with Easterbrook School in 2003 due to budget cuts.

The Discovery Charter School can now appeal to the Santa Clara County Board of Education for approval.

Decorated trees aid
Valle Monte League

Interior Services of Los Gatos (ISLG), with a showroom in downtown Campbell, is one of two interior design companies participating in the Valle Monte League fundraiser, Christmas Tree Elegance. The event, which is in its 38th year, is taking place this week through Dec. 2 at the Doubletree Hotel in Santa Clara.

Christmas Tree Elegance raises funds for the four mental health agencies Valle Monte supports. The event includes weeklong festivities such as morning coffee and afternoon tea on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and a children's party on Dec. 1. The main event is the Grand Ball on Dec. 2.

Christmas trees that were decorated by professionals, such as ISLG, will be on display all week. There will be a live auction at the grand ball for the grand ball tree, and a tree will be given away at each event via donation drawing. The trees not only include the decorations, but also gifts procured by the tree's decorator.

ISLG's tree theme is "Valley of the Heart's Delight." It includes ornaments in the shape of vegetables, flowers and "everything that has to do with the harvest and what this valley is about," said ISLG manager Joan Tesauro. The gifts underneath ISLG's tree include dried fruit and an Ipod, among other things that represent the valley.

Valle Monte League Inc. is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization based in San Jose that raises funds for four mental health agencies. For additional information, reservations or tickets to Christmas Tree Elegance, call 408.278.8001.