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Published on 08/03/1998 All articles from this issue

News Briefs

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CSA closes Community Kitchen

Citing declining use and other available sources of food, the Community Service Agency Board of Directors, serving Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, served its last meal at the Community Kitchen July 31.

The kitchen, operating out of the First Presbyterian Church at Cuesta Drive and Miramonte Avenue, served meals four times a week to needy individuals and families.

According to Maureen Wadiak, director of program management, the agency in June opted to close the kitchen and expand its "Food Closet" into a food and nutritional center. The center, which officially opened Aug. 3, from CSA offices at 204 Stierlin Road in Mountain View, offers food and health education, such as a recommended food list for seniors on fixed incomes.

CSA decided to discontinue the 15-year kitchen, Wadiak said, after research showed the average number of visitors dropped from a high of 90 to 100 per night, down to 45.

"We looked at how many people we were serving and how many we were missing," Wadiak said. "We found a whole pocket of working poor people we were missing."

Those people, she said, many living across town in Mountain View, couldn't get the transportation to travel to the kitchen. Also, the hours of the kitchen, from 4-5:15 p.m., made it difficult to access for those coming from work, Wadiak said.

Escaped prisoner turns self in

Los Altos youth Aron Phillip Nugent is back in custody at the Santa Clara County Main Jail, after turning himself in Aug. 3, following a daring July 17 escape from the facility that had him successfully dodging authorities for 18 days.

Nugent, 20, initially charged with commercial burglary after 11 rifles were stolen from Mountain View Sporting Good Store on Castro Street, bolted from sheriff's deputies as he was being escorted to the North County facility, said Jim Arata of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. According to reports, Nugent ran handcuffed into a residential area surrounding the court and jail facility at Grant Street in Palo Alto. Nugent apparently broke one of his legs as he scaled a fence during the escape. He was treated for the injury after giving himself up, according the sheriff's officials.

Nugent's surrender was arranged with detectives after the youth contacted the county's Alternative Defenders Office, Arata said.

Following his escape, Arata said Nugent traveled north toward Oregon along Interstate 5.

LAH council candidates file

Three have declared their candidacy thus far for two open seats on the Los Altos Hills City Council.

As of the first filing deadline last Friday, incumbent Toni Casey, former planning commissioner Steve Finn and current commissioner Dot Schreiner have turned in papers to vie for council seats in the Nov. 3 election.

Jim Steiner, currently on the town's finance committee, has taken out papers but has not yet filed.

According to town clerk Pat Dowd, Steiner and other challengers have until 5 p.m. today to file for candidacy.

The file extension was made possible by incumbent Sid Hubbard's decision not to seek re-election.

The extension applies to challengers only, Dowd said.

- Town Crier Staff Reports