Morning News Round-Up -- 7.20.09: Day 5, with one less Juror

We knew that the William Ayres' molestation trial would be a wild one... but we thought that after the jury got the case and was deliberating, the fireworks would die down for a while... well, we were wrong. A juror was dismissed on Friday for having a personal conversation about an "inappropriate event" in her own life that made her more likely to believe the (alleged) victims' memories... An alternate was seated instead. William Ayres Watch reminds us it is Day 5 of Jury deliberations...

Here is a story that first came across the local newspapers on Saturday: A hiker from San Carlos is missing in an area near Skeggs Point in unincorporated San Mateo County. The latest updates come from the Half Moon Bay Review from Sunday afternoon and the Chronicle this morning. At that point, there was still no sign of the hiker.

If there are two issues that get folks going in Belmont it is parks and neighborhoods... so when you try to plan for a new neighborhood park, get ready for some exciting times. That's the case with a proposed park on Davey Glen Road (just off of El Camino Real)...

Speaking of parks... and housing... and industrial growth... and a bunch of other "land use" stuff, Redwood City is moving ahead with a revised General Plan. Which is pretty dry stuff in most places, but with Redwood City, land use and growth is never dry.

There was a fire Saturday at Zibbibbo Restaurant in Palo Alto... origins of the flames were undetermined at the time of this blogging... We hope we can still get our herb roasted top sirloin tonight.

Supervisors have started the conversation about new taxes and fees to help address their "structural deficit." Join the club...

It is Monday, which (usually) means that Sue Lempert gives her take on local happenings in the Daily Journal. Today she gets in on the health care discussion in DC and a health care-related Civil Grand Jury report in 2008. She also talks about the Feds with how stimulus dollars are being used locally. (And to the loyal Watch Dog reader who often sends wise ass emails, stimulus dollars are not being used here...)

The Coastside Family Medical Clinic on-again/off-again bankruptcy filing is off-again... at least until July 24th when the next hearing will take place...

There was some scary excitement over the weekend when a local bomb squad detonated an explosive devise at a Pacifica apartment complex...

0n a final, sad note, former Burlingame Mayor Don Lembi died at the age of 63 from "complications from diabetes."