Willow Glen Resident
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Free fashion shows at Santana Row
Santana Row will have a series of six free fall fashion shows Aug. 19-20 in the middle of the shopping center at Winchester and Stevens Creek boulevards.
Along with the shows, which are scheduled for 3, 5 and 7 p.m. on Aug. 19 and noon, 2 and 4 p.m. on Aug. 20, there will be music and dance performances with wine and menu sampling from Santana Row restaurants.
A special VIP reception will take place before the 7 p.m. show on Aug. 19. At 6 p.m., those paying $75 can attend a reception at Vintage Wine Bar. The VIPs will be given front row seats and gift bags for the fashion show.
Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Hospice of the Valley, Jewish Federation, Junior League of San Jose, Peninsula Volunteers, Project Hired, Valle Monte and Via Services.
For reservations for the VIP event, call 408. 975.9300. At all other shows, seating is on a first-come basis.
High speed chase ends in an arrest
San Jose police officers arrested 18-year-old Jesus Ramirez on six charges, including auto theft, possession of methamphetamine, failure to yield to a police officer, resisting arrest, being under the influence of a controlled substance and driving without a license, according to San Jose police spokeswoman Gina Tepoorten.
On Aug. 1, a man reported his 1992 black Nissan Sentra was stolen on the 1900 block of Fruitdale Avenue at 8:55 a.m. Three hours later, police officers were notified a vehicle was speeding on W. Virginia Street and Bird Avenue in the Gardner neighborhood. The officers pursued the car to Lelong Street and Alma Avenue, where Ramirez allegedly ran a red light and nearly caused an accident, according to police.
The officers opted not to continue the pursuit for public safety reasons, but alerted all officers in the area. Another officer saw Ramirez driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Then he stopped the vehicle and jumped out at 1950 Monterey Highway.
Witnesses told police he ran into the nearby Burger King. When the officers arrived at the fast-food restaurant, Ramirez fled on foot but was arrested a block away. The Nissan was returned to its owner.
Jazz series at
Santana Row
The Tuesday evening Summer Jazz Series at Santana Row continues with the San Jose Jazz Society sponsoring Wally Schnalle on Aug. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. in Park Valencia.
Drummer and composer, Schnalle, performs both original compositions and standards. For additional information, call 408.551.4611.
San Jose looks into
luring NBA franchise
Don Gralnek, general counsel of the San Jose Arena Management, requested the cooperation of the city in pursuing an NBA franchise team. City staff plans on bringing a recommendation on how to pursue a team to the council on Aug. 22.
Securing an NBA franchise team is a common goal for the city and arena management, which was outlined in the arena contract. City Manager Les White said currently there are no pending NBA contracts, and that Gralnek brought the idea forward because the HP Pavilion will soon be in need of renovations. Securing an NBA franchise team would bring in additional revenue for these improvements.
City staff estimates an NBA franchise would generate $100 million in revenue to the city through 2018. Since a new facility would not have to be built, a public vote is not required to bring in another professional franchise to HP Pavilion.
Mentoring program
schedules training
The Willow Glen Middle School and High School Foundation is helping coordinate volunteers who will receive tutoring training to work with Willow Glen High School students to improve their reading, writing and vocabulary skills. The foundation will work with new tutors Aug. 26 from 9 a.m. until noon in the high school library.
The program, Help One Student to Succeed, which will happen throughout the school year, aims to boost students' language arts skills. When the program gets under way, the students will be assessed to determine where they need help, and the tutors will implement individualized lesson plans, program coordinator Cheryl Heiman said.
Volunteers, once trained, will mentor and tutor the students one on one, according to Heiman.
During the training event, volunteers will learn how to implement the lesson plans and follow San Jose Unified School District procedures.
Willow Glen High School Principal Elaine Farace and San Jose Unified School District board trustee Pam Foley will lead the training, which will include 20 new volunteers. A total of 28 volunteers are signed up for the tutoring program, but some are already trained, Heiman said. The school is continually seeking new volunteers.
"We hope to welcome all of our new volunteers," she said, "and we're going to educate the volunteers on the program and how to be a mentor."
For more information about the program, contact Ina Miller, tutoring coordinator, at 408.535.6330, ext. 607 or via email at ina_miller@sjusd.org.
