The South Bay Astrological Society invites Willow Glen residents who are winding down from a family-saturated holiday season to join its Jan. 8 lecture.

Entitled "Family Dynamics: How and Why We Get Along," speaker Joyce Levine will discuss how astrological patterns and family dynamics are related. The discussion is open to the public.

Admission is $10 for non-members, and $5 for members. Refreshments will also be served.

For more information, call 408.395.7082 or visit www.astrologyclub.org.

—Meghan O'Hare

Donate a can or box of
food and get a free mug

The holiday season is a time to give and receive, and Willow Glen residents can do both by aiding the efforts of Peak Travel Group.

The travel management company is hosting a food drive to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. People who donate canned or boxed food will receive a free mug from the business on Lincoln Avenue.

Collection bins are located in the front reception area of the office, 1221 Lincoln Ave. The drive will last through December. For more information, call 408. 286.2633.

—Meghan O'Hare

Pickup truck is stolen
on Hazelwood Avenue

It was a car sale that went awry when a driver ended up having his pickup truck stolen.

On Dec. 11 at 7:46 p.m., a pair of men approached the two occupants of a brown 1998 Chevy pickup truck at the Chevron gas station on Bird Avenue and Interstate 280, and asked them if they wanted to sell their automobile. The pickup's owner and passenger agreed to the sale, and followed the other men to a house located on the 1000 block of Hazelwood Avenue in Willow Glen.

According to San Jose Police Department spokesman Enrique Garcia, the house did not belong to any of the people involved in the incident.

At the home, a third individual came out of the house and joined the other individuals who said they wanted to buy the truck. At that point one of the three men brandished a knife and forced one of the pickup truck's occupants into the home where he was assaulted and bound with duct tape. The second individual who had been in the truck fled was able to flee the scene.

The three men left the home with the pickup truck and an Infinity and are still at large. According to Garcia, the license plate number of the pickup truck is 7M98952.

Garcia said one of the men was described as a 26-year-old Latino male, who was about 5 feet 5 inches tall with black hair. Another man was described as approximately 30 years old, a Latino male with curly black hair, who was about 6 feet 2 inches, weighing about 200 pounds. A description of the third individual was not available.

—Meghan O'Hare

Elderly woman's purse
grabbed near McDonald's

A man robbed a 70-year-old woman while she was entering her car in front of the McDonald's in the 2800 block of Meridian Avenue.

On Dec. 13 at 7:31 p.m., an unidentified man stole the woman's purse out of her hand, and entered a black compact car and drove away. The stolen purse contained cash.

San Jose Police Department spokesman Enrique Garcia described the man as a black-haired, clean-shaven Latino male between the ages of 28 and 30. According to Garcia the man is still at large.

—Meghan O'Hare

Abandoned pets need
some holiday cheer

The holidays may be special time for people, but not for unwanted dogs and cats.

During the holidays, animal shelters become inundated with abandoned dogs and cats from people dumping their pets to go on vacation or because they are too busy to care for them. At this time of year, rescue organizations are usually at their limit and adoptions are slow.

To help ease the problem, organizations like Furry Friends Rescue are asking the public to consider adopting or becoming a foster home for a abandoned dog or cat at an animal shelter.

Seniors may qualify
for prescription credit

As 2004 nears its end, thousands of San Jose residents are missing out on a good bet.

Under the new Medicare law, seniors of modest means qualify for a $600 credit toward buying prescription drugs. It's essentially free money; all they have to do is ask for it, but they'll have to ask quick, the deadline is Dec. 31.

If people don't spend the $600 in 2004, the credit rolls over into 2005, when they will receive a second $600 credit as of Jan. 1, totaling of $1,200.

The credit is available to single people whose yearly income falls below $12,569 and to married couples whose income is $16,862 or less..

To get the credit, people must sign up for a Medicare-approved drug discount card. Regardless of whether the card reduces the prices of their drugs, it will come with the $600 credit and can be used at local pharmacies.

For more information, go to www. accesstobenefits.org and click on the link that says, "BenefitsCheckUpRx," or visit www.medicare.gov click on the link that says, "Find a Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card."

San Jose third-graders
receive dictionaries

Willow Glen's third-graders walked home with their very own dictionaries on Dec. 15, courtesy of the California Dictionary Project.

Employees from the San Jose United School District along with businessmen and women and various corporations volunteered to distribute the dictionaries to all third-graders in the district. Board Trustee Pam Foley, who represents Willow Glen schools, helped pass out dictionaries at Booksin School. While Blach Construction, Intel, FedEx and Adobe employees visited Canaos, Galarza, Gardner Academy, River Glen and Willow Glen schools.

All third-graders received English dictionaries, while some classmates also received Spanish-English dictionaries. San Jose Unified School District spokesperson Karen Fuqua said the dictionary donations are a wonderful opportunity to bring together students, district staff, board trustees, and corporate supporters.

"The children get so excited when they know they get to keep the dictionaries," Fuqua said. "It's a very rewarding experience."

The California Dictionary Project donates dictionaries to third-graders across the state. In San Jose, Los Gatos-based Severns Family Foundation funded the 4,300 dictionaries given to San Jose Unified School District students.