Willow Glen High School will have a special informational evening for families with students about to take the leap from middle school to high school on Jan. 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This event will provide parents and students with a wealth of information. Teachers will provide information about honors and advancement placement classes. There will also be information available about sports, clubs, student governments and extra curricular activities.

Information will also be available about "University Express" or "Transfer Express", a program that enables a student to earn 30 college credits.

Babysitting will be available for all tours during the evening and Spanish translation tours will also be provided.

The information night will be held at the Willow Glen High School Library Media Center, 2001 Cottle Ave. For more information call 408.535.6330.

—Moryt Milo

Gonzales and Yeager
stroll downtown area

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and District 6 Councilmember Ken Yeager strolled through downtown Willow Glen on Dec. 17 to promote business on the avenue.

"You guys solving all the world problems?" jested Gonzales to a group of men, enjoying their morning cup of joe in front of Starbucks. "No, we're leaving that to you," one man replied.

The good humor continued through Hicklebee's, where Gonzales bought Actual Size by Steve Jenkins for his granddaughter. Similarly, Yeager purchased cat toys at Gussied Up for his two "very spoiled" cats.

The duo also visited the Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Co., Willow Glen Books, Details and ordered lunch to go at La Villa Delicatessen.

Wrapping up the midday tour to attend the 1 p.m. special meeting to censure District 7 Councilman Terry Gregory for soliciting and accepting gifts in excess of limits, Gonzales and Yeager received two "We Love Willow Glen" signs as parting gifts. The signs, Yeager jokes, were certainly within gift limits.

—Alicia Upano

City services will
close for holidays

San Jose City Hall, libraries, community centers, building inspectors, street sweeping and garbage collection will all be affected by the upcoming holidays, although the police and fire departments, the airport, environmental services and other critical city services will continue to operate on a regular schedule.

* City hall be closed for the holidays beginning Dec. 23, and will reopen on Jan. 3, 2005.

* San Jose libraries will be closed Dec. 30 through Jan. 2. Regular schedules will resume at all city libraries beginning Jan. 3.

* City community, youth and senior centers will reduce their hours of operation during the holidays, but will continue to hold their regularly scheduled programs. Most centers will be closed Dec. 30 and 31. Senior Centers will continue their regularly scheduled nutrition programs except on Dec. 30 and 31. Residents should check with their local community center for hours of operation during the holidays.

* Street sweeping schedules will be unchanged due to the holidays.

* There will be no changes to collection days for garbage, recycling, or yard trimmings. This year, Christmas and New Year's Day fall on Saturday and drivers will work on Fridays and Mondays. Due to larger volumes of materials this season, though, trucks may come by much later than usual.

* Natural and flocked Christmas trees will be collected at curbside from Dec. 27, 2004 to Feb. 4, 2005, on the same day as garbage, recycling and yard trimmings. Residents do not need to attach an "Extra Garbage" sticker, but tinsel, decorations and the tree stands must be removed. Trees should be cut into five-foot lengths and placed in the street about a foot from the curb.

For more information about city services and programs during the holiday closure, call the City's Customer Service Call Center at 408.277.4000.

Free VTA service on
New Year's weekend

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will provide free service on New Year's weekend, but after that, fares will rise across the board.

According to the VTA, buses, light rail lines and trolleys are free to riders from 7 p.m. Dec. 31 to 2:59 a.m. Jan. 2. After that fares are going up.

According to the VTA, a single ride for adults will increase from $1.50 to $1.75, with the day pass jumping from $4.50 to $5.25. A single adult express ride will rise by 50 cents to $3.50, with the day pass rising by $1.50 to $10.50.

Youth, ages 5 to 17, will be charged $1.50 for a single ride (up from $1.25) and $4.50 for a day pass (up from $3.75). Disabled riders and those 65 and older, will still be charged 75 cents for a single ride, but the day pass will rise 50 cents to $2.25.

For additional information regarding VTA service or schedules visit www.vta.org.