Fog City News Briefs

By Emmett Berg

June 19, 2007

Victim Treated After Alemany Shooting

A male victim was battling life-threatening injuries after being shot in the vehicle he was riding in, a San Francisco police officer said on Monday.

The victim was being treated at San Francisco General Hospital after the 6:40 p.m. incident on the 500 block of Alemany Boulevard, the operations officer said.

A witness was interviewed afterward in what appeared to be a vehicle-to-vehicle shooting near the Alemany Boulevard off ramp from Interstate Highway 280, the officer said.

There were no suspects or vehicle description available, the officer said.

Palo Alto Proposes Hosting Bicycle Race

Palo Alto could host a key part of the Tour of California bicycle race and be the center of the cycling world for a day if the city council approves a letter of intent on Monday.

Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto and city councilmen Bern Beecham and John Barton on Monday plan to ask fellow council members to lend support to a bid at hosting part of the bicycle race with Stanford.

The city aims to host the race prologue, where each cyclist individually rides an approximate three-mile time-trial. This part of the competition is considered crowd friendly giving spectators a chance to see each rider and not just a blur of spandex as the peloton flies by. The prologue is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2008.

Kishimoto, Beecham and Barton stated in a memorandum to the city council that bringing the first world-class cycling event of the year to Palo Alto would bring business and international visibility to the city and Stanford University.

If the letter gets approved at on Monday's meeting and Palo Alto is selected as the site of the prologue, the announcement would come in July during cycling's premiere event, the Tour de France, and would be widely promoted by the event's promoters, AEG, a sports entertainment company. Costs for the event have been estimated to be between $100,000 and $250,000 for police, medical personnel, event staff, portable restrooms and other supplies like barricades and cones.

The proposed course would run from Palo Alto City Hall to Stanford and would highlight downtown Palo Alto and the university. The race is expected to bring 50,000 cycling enthusiasts to Palo Alto, benefiting area businesses.

San Leandro Burn Victim Dies

A San Leandro woman who suffered burns on over 90 percent of her body died on Monday while hospitalized at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, an Alameda County Fire Department spokeswoman said.

Leslie Ward, 56, remained in critical condition for two days after her 2731 San Leandro Blvd. No. 108 studio apartment caught on fire Saturday at 1:15 a.m.

The fire was determined to have started by smoking in bed, fire investigators reported.

Homeless Puppy to Become Search And Rescue Dog

A homeless puppy with a grim future found hope and happiness after passing tests to become a participant for a search and rescue program.

Nelly, a 1.5-year-old black shepherd-Labrador cross, spent two and a half months at Oakland Animal Shelter after he was left at their drop box in early April.

The puppy was not a candidate for adoption due to his powerful and hyper personality.

While Nelly remained in Oakland Animal Shelter's custody, he found a surprisingly perfect opportunity through Gap Dogs, an organization dedicated to helping place shelter dogs into special service placement programs.

Nelly passed every Gap Dogs test "with flying colors," according to a statement from the Oakland Police Department and joined the ranks of dogs eligible for bomb detection, drug detection, search and rescue, handicap assistance, seizure alert, cancer sniffing, and accelerant detection, among other services.

Nelly will fly to Dallas on Tuesday at 10 a.m. with staff from the

Oakland Animal Shelter, and undergo 18 months of intensive training to become a Search and Rescue dog. By choosing a dog from an animal shelter, rescuers save an estimated $2,500 in what it ordinarily costs to buy a search-and-rescue dog.

Visit www.oaklandanimals.org to make a tax-deductible donation for Nelly's transportation.

Fairfield Police Searching For Umpqua Bank Robber

Fairfield police said a man robbed the Umpqua Bank on Monday then fled on foot.

Police said the man entered the bank at 1411 Oliver Road at 2:28 p.m., went up to a teller and announced a robbery. The man did not display a weapon but concealed his hand behind his hip as if he had a weapon, police said.

The suspect made verbal threats and fled on foot, police said. The suspect is a white male adult, 35-40 years old, 5 feet 8 inches, 160 pounds with gray hair and unshaved facial hair. He was wearing a blue baseball cap, white or gray shirt, faded blue jeans and tennis shoes, according to police.

Sonoma County Man Arrested For Cousin's Murder

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department arrested a Healdsburg man on Monday on suspicion of murdering his cousin.

Lt. Rob Giordano said 19-year-old Jose Miguel Mendez is suspected of fatally shooting 17-year-old Pedro Fernando Gonzalez Ruiz of Healdsburg, whose body was found alongside a long driveway off Westside Road in Forestville Sunday morning.

Giordano said the shooting happened late Friday or on Saturday. The sheriff's department believes the victim and suspect worked at Molsberry Market in Larkfield, Giordano said, and Mendez felt Ruiz was mistreating him.

A resident in the 11000 block of Westside Road notified the sheriff's department about a body near a log pile at 11:35 a.m. Sunday.

Mendez was arrested at 3 p.m. and was booked into the Sonoma County jail for murder. He is being held under no bail. The investigation is continuing, Giordano said.

Deceased Sonoma County Inmate Identified

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department identified 55-year-old Richard Lamont Williamson Jr. of Santa Rosa as the county jail inmate who was found dead in his cell early Sunday morning.

Lt. Robert Giordano said an autopsy on Monday determined he suffered coronary heart disease. There were no signs of trauma on his body and the cause of death is pending toxicology tests, Giordano said.

Giordano said Williamson Jr. was a registered sex offender and was on parole for sex offenses against a child. He was arrested after a disturbance at the Motel 6 at 2760 Cleveland Ave. in Santa Rosa early Friday morning for violating his parole by using drugs.

Giordano said Williamson Jr. told jail medical staff he may suffer withdrawal symptoms from his drug use. Williamson Jr. had two conversations with jail staff 90 minutes before his death, both times indicating he was doing okay, Giordano said.

A correctional officer assigned to Williamson Jr.'s module found him unresponsive on the floor at 12:40 a.m. Sunday, the sheriff's department said. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and Williamson was pronounced dead at the jail.

San Jose Letter Carrier Honored

A San Jose letter carrier will be honored as a hero Wednesday after he came to the aid of an elderly woman who had fallen to the ground and injured her leg.

Ferdinand Adona was going about his day delivering mail in September when he came across an 89-year-old woman on El Dori Drive in south San Jose, who had fallen. The woman had apparently fallen while switching her cane from one hand to the other.

Realizing the woman needed immediate medical attention; Adona called 911 and then stayed with the woman until paramedics arrived.

"Adona exemplifies how our letter carriers serve as the eyes and ears of the neighborhoods they serve," San Jose Postmaster Sammy Velasquez said. "He is truly a caring individual and an asset to the postal service and the community he serves."

Adona will be officially recognized Wednesday by Velasquez and the U.S. Postal Service at a ceremony at the Berryessa Post Office at 1315 Piedmont Road at 8:30 a.m.

Redwood City Proposes Larger Costco

The Redwood City Planning Commission will host a public hearing Tuesday evening to consider a proposal to replacing an existing Costco store with a larger one on the same property, Planning Manager Jill Ekas announced.

The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the City Council chamber at City Hall, will consider certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed development at 2300 Middlefield Road, which would include a gas station in addition to the retail store.

City Hall is located at 1017 Middlefield Road in Redwood City.

More information on the project can be found at http://www.redwoodcity.org.

Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

####