The Witchy Walk-A-Bout on Oct. 30 was a great success. It was wonderful seeing all the children and parents strolling through downtown Saratoga. The community interest in the event was more than expected. It was a pleasure being a part of a great community event.

I would like to thank the Saratoga Rotary and the Village merchants for their support as event sponsors. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Dr. John Marian of Big Basin Chiropractic for leading the effort and organizing the event.

Kristin Davis, Executive Director

Saratoga Chamber of Commerce

Disturbing case of a
dead white rabbit

Around January 2004, two white rabbits were dumped on our neighborhood streets by a family who once lived on Larchmont Avenue. I learned that the family, apparently, had never caged the rabbits. The Humane Society Silicon Valley advised me that since the rabbits could not be held and loved, they could not be placed for adoption; therefore, they would kill them.

One of the rabbits was run over on our court, and I disposed of it. Most of my neighbors felt that the remaining rabbit should not be caged, but be allowed to live out the remainder of its life being free. So the rabbit roamed our immediate neighborhood's front yards freely, choosing no one neighbor's yard in particular.

However, on Oct. 21 someone killed and skinned the white rabbit, and placed the skin/pelt just outside my side yard gate. It was very obvious that my side yard gate had been deliberately left open so that I would easily find the rabbit's skin/pelt. When I opened up the skin/pelt, the inside skin was very clean, and I found no blood, bones or scuffle marks around the area where it lay. On Oct. 22 I reported the incident to sheriff's deputy Swank.

Deputy Swank questioned if I lived in a rural area. He stated that it was probably a bobcat that killed the rabbit since they skin their prey and take the body somewhere else to eat it. Or, it could have been a cat that killed it. But I assured him that he could come and look at the skin/pelt and he would see for himself that the rabbit's body had been precisely slit open with a knife, a scalpel, or a pair of scissors.

I questioned Deputy Swank's conclusion as to why an "animal" predator would kill and skin a rabbit, leave no mess of blood or bones, leave no signs of a scuffle, and leave the skin/pelt neatly wrapped up outside my side yard gate. He then acknowledged my findings, and concluded that I should alert my neighbors to be careful with their pets.

Therefore, neighbors be aware that it appears that we now have a very disturbed and sadistic individual living in our midst. According to the Humane Society Silicon Valley: " ... Virtually every serial killer, and most habitual violent offenders, began by torturing and killing animals. Well-known cases of school shootings were perpetrated by boys with histories of animal abuse." So neighbors, please be careful with your animals.

Christina Gulrich

Walden Court

Building Bridges event
brings people together

The Saratoga Rotary's second annual Building Bridges Celebration during the week of Oct. 3­10 was a great success. It brought together hundreds of people representing all religions, races and cultures through a series of educational and fun activities which could not have happened without the support of the many local schools, businesses, places of worship, organizations and individuals dedicated to celebrating the unity in our diversity.

A special thanks to all of our major sponsors (in alphabetical order): city of Saratoga, Fed Ex Kinko's on Prospect Road, KGO-TV, KCBS radio, Los Gatos Rotary, Neuron Links, Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, Saratoga Library, Saratoga News, Saratoga Rotary, Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, Southwest YMCA, West Valley College, and Whole Foods Markets in Campbell, Cupertino and Los Gatos.

Ruth Carlson

For the Building Bridges Leadership Committee

Sad to see the Saratoga
Library closed for a day

It is indeed a sad commentary of the times when Saratoga finds itself limited in its use of a core service. The Saratoga Library [which also serves residents of Monte Sereno] is forced to close on Mondays because of the failure of Measure B to receive the necessary two-thirds vote. That measure would have extended the $33 yearly Library Assessment voted on 10 years ago and expiring this June.

Saratoga residents appreciate the importance of this library, and voted in overwhelming numbers to expand and renovate it a few years ago. This is the fourth year in a row that the library has been rated No. 1 for libraries serving 250,000 to 500,000 people. This year it is the only library in California to be ranked as among the 100 best in the U.S. for high-quality, cost-effective service.

To see our beautiful new library stand vacant for a day, instead of fully serving the many appreciative patrons, casts a dispiriting spell—not only on the building, but on the community. Saratoga has always prided itself as a community which values education and the benefits of education, which include enrichment and nourishment of the mind and spirit.

It is important for all of us to remember when next we have an opportunity to vote to fund the library that we have a responsibility as citizens to maximize the availability of library services.

Ruth Gipstein

Charters Avenue

Candidate learns much
during the campaign

I want to thank the voters of Los Gatos for electing me to the board of trustees for the Los Gatos­Saratoga Joint Union High School District.

During these last few weeks of campaigning, I have met and spoken with many of you and I was so impressed with the thought-provoking questions and the valuable insights each of you had. I thought that I was well informed about our schools, but I learned even more by listening to you.

I plan on continuing to listen and hear what the community has to offer. Being a well-informed and hard-working trustee is now my goal.

Rosemary Rossi

Audrey Smith Lane