Morning News Round-Up -- 8.17.09: (Fugitive) Karma Edition...

Federal authorities officially named former SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory employee, Silvya Oommachen as a fugitive. She is accused of having destroyed $500,000 worth of research at the federal facility in Menlo Park to reverse "bad karma.” She disappeared after being released on July 28 on $50,000 unsecured bond. Watch Dog wonders if her good karma will help her on the run...

San Mateo is cracking down on dog owners who are allowing their canines to run free with out a leash. Both citizens and park rangers have been tattling on these dog owners, complaining about potential safety concerns, aka pit bulls without a leash. (No comment from Michael Vick...)

Davina Drabkin easily won the election to the Burlingame Elementary School District Board of Trustees. She had no challenger, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t up for the challenge to grapple with education spending woes.

No strike today. It seems that BART union workers and its management finally reached a “tentative” deal Sunday night. Or perhaps union officials read this...

Seventeen middle school and high school teachers from the Bay Area recently traveled to China for two weeks hoping to impart some wisdom on their students about Chinese culture and history. The trip was co-sponsored by the San Mateo County Office of Education.

It took 10 minutes for the Palo Alto council to gave the long-awaited Lytton Plaza in downtown the final approval. What's 10 minutes more on top of many, many years?

Hopefully, your car wasn’t parked in the Emerald Lake Hills area of San Mateo County Saturday. It seems that occupants in a truck were allegedly seen throwing rocks at the windows of parked cars, damaging 19 of them. Fun for the whole familiy...

Pacifica residents are being asked to write to their Senators advocating for new legislation on food safety. Pacifica folks have never met a cause they didn't love...

San Bruno celebrated the return of roughly 100 Marines from Echo Company Saturday. They are among the first group benefiting from President Obama's withdrawal of troops in Iraq.

Cars, bikes, and pedestrians are having a bit of trouble co-habitating in Woodside. The COWS have a run-down...

San Mateo resident Joseph Ortega is in critical but stable condition a police detective shot him Thursday in a drug raid.

San Mateo County is banking on the State to let more money flow into building a new prison facility locally. Money is one issue, but locating the facility is quite another... just ask the Sheriff.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.21.09: Better late than...

Sorry for the delay. Better last than never and all that jazz...the heat is going to Watch Dog's head...

"We need a larger crane..." That was the call from the San Mateo Bridge during the removal of the boat lodged there since last week. It was hauled away last night.

As one emergency gets solved...another one is issued.

The Governor declared a fishing emergency earlier today.

San Mateo has an idea to cut their budget, go after senior lunch programs. Watch Dog doesn't think this will actually happen, but is probably a good way to get folks supportive of future fee/tax increases...

San Mateo Union High School is going to hire Assistant Superintendent from Palo Alto Unified to replace outgoing Superintendent David Miller. Miller is getting out before all hell brakes loose in California when/if Props A through F fail...

Still sleepy from last week's artificial turf meeting in San Carlos, in today's Daily Journal Michelle Durand's "Off the Beat" describes some ideas for how to streamline public meetings in order make government run more effectively...and help her meet her deadlines.

The Pacifica sales tax increase is facing some opposition -- no big surprise. Riptide covers the coverage...