Local Notebook

National Poison Prevention Week

The California Poison Control System is reminding parents, grandparents and other caregivers that most poisonings can be prevented by taking a few precautions, especially during National Poison Prevention Week, observed March 17-23.

The system offers free and confidential health care advice from trained professionals in the event of an emergency, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. From minor incidents to emergencies, the system can provide immediate assistance, advice and, if necessary, a referral to the closest emergency room. In the case of an emergency, system staff will call ahead to alert medical personnel of a patient's arrival, provide direct treatment advice, and monitor a patient's progress until discharged. The system's hotline is 800.876.4766.

The system also offers a range of community outreach programs and educational materials for those involved in efforts to prevent poisonings and keep children safe. Callers can receive stickers and poison prevention materials by contacting the educational voicemail line at 800.582.3387. Phone stickers and other educational materials can also be accessed from the system's website at www.calpoison.org.

This year's theme for national Poison Prevention Week is, "Children Act Fast... So Do Poisons!"

The system recommends taking the following steps to reduce the risk of poison exposure for persons with children under the age of 5: Place the poison control hotline number on or near all phones; ask for child-resistant containers; don't store food products and household cleaners in the same cabinet; always keep products in their original containers; keep harmful medicines and household products out of reach and in locked cabinets; never call medicine "candy"; and don't take medicine in front of children because they love to imitate adults. The system also recommends that if the doorbell or the phone rings, or there are other distractions, keep the dangerous product with you. Know plants in the home and keep potentially harmful products, such as cosmetics, perfume, cigarettes, alcohol, vitamins with iron, and over-the-counter drugs, completely out of reach.

The statewide system receives about 300,000 calls a year for poison emergencies and information. The system is managed by the UC-San Francisco School of Pharmacy.

Annual Spanish Declamation Contest

All Santa Clara County schools are invited to participate in the 19th Annual Spanish Declamation Contest, "Gustavo A. Bécquer," March 27 at 3:30 p.m. Hosted this year by The Harker School, the contest is for level I through V Spanish students. Native speakers are welcome; however their participation will not count toward total points.

Each school may enter up to two students for each level, and students will memorize and deliver a poem in Spanish of no more than 25 lines. A panel of judges will determine the top three winners in each level, based on poise, memorization, delivery, pronunciation and diction. Diplomas and awards will be given along with a plaque to the school with the most points.

This annual contest was started by John Fernández of Presentation High, and is held at various schools each year.

For more information, contact Diana Moss at 408.249.2510 or dianam@harker.org.

Founded in 1893, The Harker School is a co-ed, independent, nonsectarian K-12 college prep school serving the greater Silicon Valley.

VTA is holding public meetings

Due to declining economic conditions, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is scheduling a series of public hearings to provide the public with an opportunity to make comments or suggestions regarding the impact of its proposal to implement a transit service reduction plan.

Comments may be given Wednesday, March 20, 6-8 p.m. and Wednesday, April 3, 3-5 p.m., at the Santa Clara County Government Center, Issac Newton Senter Auditorium, 70 West Hedding St., in San Jose.

The public is invited to attend either of these two public hearings.

Written comments may also be submitted to the VTA no later than April 8. VTA responses to all public comments will be provided at the May 2 VTA Board of Directors' meeting. If approved, the service changes will go into effect in July of this year.

Copies of the proposed transit service reduction plan may be obtained on board VTA buses and light rail vehicles, by contacting VTA customer service at 408.321.2300, or, for the hearing-impaired (TDD only), 408.321.2330. You can also log onto the VTA's website at www.vta.org or send email to customer.service@vta.org.

SharkByte Art Auction a success

The March 2 SharkByte Art Auction, sponsored by Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, which publishes the Willow Glen Resident, exceeded organizers' goals and raised $275,900 for charities and arts groups, the San Jose Downtown Association has announced.

More than 750 potential buyers attended the evening auction at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. A total of 99 sharks were sold, with the top bid of $20,000 going to Peter Winter's "Megabyte," a shark dressed in a San Jose Sharks jersey and benefiting The Sharks Foundation. Local charities and arts groups will receive 85 percent of the auction proceeds. The 10 highest-bidding sharks fetched sale prices of $5,000 or greater, and 27 sharks sold for $3,000 or higher.

Three sculptures were purchased outright before the auction, in partnership with downtown neighborhood associations. The exhibit of shark sculptures began Aug. 1, 2001, and was extended when the auction was rescheduled from a planned November date to March 2002.

"The auction's success is a real tribute to the creativity and spirit of our many artists who embraced this project and the commitment of our project sponsors," said Scott Knies, executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association. "We're thrilled to see the entire school of sharks go to good homes."

For a complete list of the 20 top-selling sharks and their prices, visit www.SharkByteArt.com.

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