February 11, 2005

NEWS BRIEFS

In Loving Memory of Evergreen’s Leonard ‘Red’ Lamantia

April 8, 1926 – Feb. 5, 2005

Long-time Evergreen resident Red Lamantia passed away on Feb. 5. He is survived by his wife, Louise Scerine Lamantia; daughter and son-in-law Susan and Peter Grassi; grandchildren Peter, Jim and Jon Grassi; great-grandchild Makaylah Grassi; brother and sister-in-law Ted and Bea Lamantia of Yuba City; sister Francis Irwin of San Jose; and many loving nieces and nephews.

You may join a celebration of Leonard’s life on Saturday, Feb. 26. A mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, 5111 San Felipe Road, San Jose at 1 p.m. A reception will be held immediately after the service at The Village Clubhouse, Village Parkway, San Jose.

A full memorial story will follow in the next issue of the Evergreen Times.

Dan Mackey named chairman of National Association of the Remodeling Industry

Evergreen resident Dan Mackey, owner of Daniel Mackey Construction Inc., was appointed chairman of the board of the San Jose Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) for 2005.

Dan Mackey, owner of Daniel Mackey Construction Inc., was appointed chairman of the board of the San Jose Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) for 2005.

Mackey—a certified remodeler, certified kitchen and bath remodeler as well as a certified green building professional—was honored at the recent Meta (Metamorphosis) Awards for his service to NARI of San Jose as president for almost three years.

NARI members represent an elite group of remodeling professionals adhering to a strict code of ethics who go through a rigorous screening process, including credit and bank checks, customer references, the Contractor’s State License Board, the Better Business Bureau and insurance checks (Workers Compensation and Liability Insurance are required).

Additionally, Daniel Mackey Construction Inc. received Meta awards for two separate projects completed in the past year.

The Meta Awards recognize the top remodeling contractors, vendors and subcontractors throughout the South Bay each year. To be considered, all projects submitted for judging must be an improvement or an addition to an existing structure. New construction projects are not eligible.

Competing projects also must have been completed between Nov. 30 of the previous year and Oct. 15 of the current year and cannot have been submitted in prior regional contests. The impartial panel of judges, comprised of an architect, media representative, general contractor (from outside the South Bay area) and a designer, are considered experts within the industry and associated fields.

The winners are selected based on each entrant’s “Before and After” photography and project description. Judging is based on problem solving, functionality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, degree of difficulty and entry presentation.

To find a qualified professional who is a member of NARI, you can search www.narisj.org or www.remodeltoday. com.

You can also call the NARI National hotline at (800) 611-NARI and request a free copy of NARI’s brochure, “How to Select a Remodeling Professional,” or visit www.remodeltoday.com and click on the homeowner’s guide for more information.

Reid-Hillview Airport committee opportunity

The office of District Three County Supervisor Pete McHugh has an opportunity for an Evergreen resident to participate on the Reid-Hillview Airport Joint Community Relations Committee (RHV - JCRC).

The committee will seek to enhance the compatibility of RHV with the surrounding community by facilitating communication among airport users, community members and county staff. It will also provide policy advice to the County Board of Supervisors.

The committee will meet monthly, and members will serve four-year terms. For more information, contact Daniel Murillo at Daniel.Murillo@bos.sccgov.org or (408) 299-5037.

San Jose Library among first to offer digital audio service

Library extends access to popular spoken word audio to 1.7 million Silicon Valley residents
San Jose Public Library, currently experiencing among the highest per capita library materials usage nationwide among large public libraries, is one of the first in the country to offer digital audio books in Microsoft Windows Media audio format.

Anyone with a valid San Jose Library card can now download, listen to and enjoy unabridged spoken word audio on their PCs, laptops, PDAs and many inexpensive MP3 players. The new service, available at http://ebooks.sjlibrary.org, also provides improved accessibility for those with visual disabilities. Patrons can transfer titles to over 500 portable devices and also burn their selections to standard audio CDs.

“People here in Silicon Valley are always on the go, so audio books on CD have always been very popular,” says Jane Light San Jose Library director. “The addition of digital audio books to our Web site gives residents the ability to download popular audio book titles from their home or office, burn to CD and listen in the car, providing the ultimate in portability and convenience.

“Our eBook site launched in December 2003, and we’ve had 10,000 checkouts so far,” says Light. “We expect the addition of the audio book format to be as popular as eBooks have been.”

Residents can choose from a growing list of fiction and non-fiction titles including popular authors such as Ken Follett, Mario Puzo, Johanna Lindsey, Stephen Coonts, Jennifer Crusie, and many more. They can also view on-screen information about each title and navigate directly to a specific location within an audio book.

Digital audio books are one more way that San Jose Public Library is using technology to increase customer access. All it takes is a computer and a free San Jose library card.

Save the date

Peace conference comes to Evergreen April 2

Jan. 30 marked the beginning of the Season for Nonviolence— an international 64-day educational, media and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform and empower our lives and our communities.

Inspired seven years ago by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Lurther King, Jr., this international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world. In addition to Gandhi and King, this time also celebrates the life work and teachings of Cesar Chavez, as well as peacemakers everywhere.

In support of their vision, District 8 Councilmember Dave Cortese, Resources for Families and Communities and the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment are collaborating to bring a conference to the Evergreen community on Saturday, April 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 800 participants are expected to attend.

The all-day conference, “Carry the Vision: Building a Culture of Peace in Our Families, Our Communities and Our World,” is intended to provide diverse and practical ways to instill peaceful traditions in people’s daily lives and inspire them to resort to nonviolent methods in their everyday existence.

Delores Huerta, who played a key role in helping Cesar Chavez establish the United Farm Workers (UFW), will be a keynote speaker at the conference.

What makes this conference unique and groundbreaking is that each participant will have an opportunity to make a commitment to at least one simple but profound act he/she will carry out in the promotion of peace. The event will feature inspiring keynote speakers, panel discussions,and workshops.

The conference will take place at Evergreen Valley College, 3095 Yerba Buena Road, San Jose. The $25 registration fee includes lunch, provided by the San Jose Sikh Community.

For more information or to register, contact Adrianna Cota at (408) 277-5242 or e-mail adrianna.cota@sanjoseca.gov. For more information about the Season of Nonviolence go to www.interfaithspace.org/snv.