The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency is offering free rides from January through March to eligible seniors, people with disabilities and those with Medicare fare discounts.

Those who qualify can ride for free on the weekends and from 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. and after 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The agency is offering the free rides in order to encourage use of its buses and trains.

For more information visit www. vta.org or call 408. 321.2300.

Caltrain asks riders
to write love poems

Caltrain gives passengers and the public another opportunity to express their "love" for trains in poetry. Inspired by the success of last year's Romance on the Rails singles event, Caltrain is launching a contest to honor the best love poetry about Caltrain. Winning poems will be announced on March 1, and their poems will be published in the Caltrain newsletter.

A panel of judges will select the top three poems, and prizes will be awarded to the winning authors.

Contest rules allow for poems to be written in any form or style, from rhymed to free verse to haiku, but limited to 100 words or less. Variations on the general theme of love and Caltrain are acceptable subject matter for the poetry contest.

The first-prize winner will receive a two-night stay at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Union Square. Second-prize winner will receive two Gourmet Express five-course dinners aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train, and the third-prize winner will receive a Hornblower dinner cruise for two.

Caltrain must receive all entries by 5 p.m., Feb. 14 at Caltrain Communications, Rail Poetry Contest, 1250 San Carlos Ave., P.O. Box 3006, San Carlos, CA 94070-1306 or by fax to 650.508.7919. Entries can also be emailed to lovepoems@caltrain.com.

Amber Alert marks
its 10th anniversary

The Amber Alert system marked its 10th anniversary Jan. 13. To acknowledge this milestone, Child Quest International is sponsoring a National Missing Children Day Art contest.

Last year's winner was Dana Sever, a fifth-grader at Los Alamitos School in San Jose. She was presented with an award and a U.S. savings bond.

The federal Department of Justice, through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Child Protection Division, partners with Child Quest International to sponsor the yearly contest for fifth-graders. The idea is to create artwork that will represent America's united goal for missing children--bringing them home safely.

The winner of the contest will be announced on May 25 in Washington, D.C.

For more information, contact Anthony Gonzalez at 408.287.4673 or visit www.childquest.org.

Artist chosen for
Willow Glen library

A final selection was made Jan 18 on who will create the public art for the renovated Willow Glen branch library.

It was a close decision, and the residents present went through two rounds of voting before choosing David Ruth.

The community met at the library and listened to each of the three artists--Ruth, Anne Storrs and Jon Rubin--present their concepts for the public art portion of the new library.

Ruth had two conceptual ideas. The first proposal was for a glass-blown gateway into the library with an array of bright colors that would softly filter sunlight during the day.

This concept included hand-drawings of Willow Glen scenes, such as trees, the old library and the old fire station that would be embedded in the glass gateway art. Ruth will work with the community to better understand what they would like to see in these drawings.

Ruth's second concept was a series of windows made out of blown glass with similar colors that would line the west side of the new library.

The next step is for Ruth to meet with the architects to work out the details as to which concepts can be integrated into the new design.

To see Ruth's work or to contact him, visit www.davidruth.com.

Owner posts fliers
looking for his cat

Peter Baumstark's Willow Glen home is feeling empty since his cat, McLeod, was discovered missing on Dec. 29.

Baumstark said the last time he saw his long-haired cat, brown with black stripes, was 10 p.m. on Dec. 28. The cat was in the house when Baumstark went to bed. Baumstark said he thinks someone may have taken the cat.

McLeod showed up in Baumstark's backyard last spring and was shy and skittish at first. Eventually McLeod became more interested in companionship than steady meals. Baumstark believes he was some else's pet who got lost.

"McLeod seemed very happy to finally have a home and rarely let me alone," Baumstark said.

Baumstark has put up fliers around Willow Glen. The cat has a very large head, neck and paws and sports broken top fangs. Baumstark can be reached at 408.448.0995.