Morning News Round-Up -- 3.25.09: Dial-up Internet Edition...

Watch Dog doesn't want to brag...but we will. Our ongoing harassment of Jay Thorwaldson's horrible blogging (10 posts in 3 years) has led the Palo Alto Weekly to find community bloggers to make the online version of the paper a bit hipper. They have a ways to go. Aside from their world-travelling blogger (Kevin Schuman), they have added a new blogger today, Paul Losch. Unfortunately, Losch's first paragraphs reveal that he doesn't really know what blogs are all about or what blogging really is. Don't worry Mr. Losch, Watch Dog will monitor and critique your posts...like today's is too long and not that interesting, no offense...

Speaking of local blogs, David Lim, the once and future candidate for San Mateo City Council, has been busy. He provided testimony up in Sacramento this week and blogged about it here.

Watch Dog has become accustomed to local governments jacking up rates on garbage and sewer...but it is rare that local governments, once they have decided to increase rates, go back and look at their decision. But that's what Belmont is doing with its sewer rates. Since 2000, sewer rates in Belmont have gone up 93 percent, according to today's Daily Journal, the 8 to 9.5 percent extra that the Belmont City Council already decided to hit residents with was reconsidered last night...

Sequoia Healthcare District has found its new CEO, Lee Michelson will take the helm on April 27th.

In other healthcare news...

• John Horgan at the County Times gives us a perspective on how the fiscal crisis has caused two Bay Area counties (but not ours) to limit free/low-cost routine care to undocumented immigrants...
• The County Times goes into lots of detail about Monday's public meeting in Half Moon Bay about the closure of Coastside Family Medical Center which was led by Supervisor Gordon.
  
• On a related note, the Health Plan of San Mateo picked up the records of the nearly 2,000 patients of the Coastside Family Medical Center.

Jon Mays at the Daily Journal describes in detail the newsroom's challenges with no Internet. Sounds fun, actually. If that ever happened to Watch Dog, we'd be screwed....

Palo Alto is looking for a new Police Chief. Presumably one that thinks before he/she opens their mouth...