Heat waves in May aren’t entirely unusual, but this one is getting a lot of attention … and it’s not even here yet.

In addition to the forecast on today’s front page of the Mercury News, the weather statement that WGx Twittered yesterday has been upgraded to an “Excessive Heat Watch,” issued this afternoon by the National Weather Service:

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR THE CITIES OF SAN FRANCISCO…OAKLAND AND SAN JOSE INCLUDING THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY.. …

A SIGNIFICANT HEAT EVENT IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH RECORD OR NEAR RECORD BREAKING HEAT POSSIBLE FOR THE URBAN AREAS OF THE GREATER SAN FRANCISCO BAY REGION. AFTERNOON HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY ARE FORECAST FROM THE MID 80S TO MID 90S AND THEN WARMING FROM THE UPPER 80S TO UPPER 90S ON THURSDAY WITH MORE RECORD TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE.

By the way, this “Excessive Heat” declaration — which expires Thursday evening — is kind of a new thing:

This excessive heat watch is being issued utilizing a new heat health warning system. It is specific to the areas included in this heat watch. It is targeted at the elderly or infirmed…who might be much more sensitive to heat and thus at greater risk. Individuals who fall into this category should be especially careful by drinking plenty of water…seeking a cooler location for the day if no air conditioning is available in your living quarters and or ask for a friend or relative to check on you frequently. It is very important that relatives check frequently on friends or relatives who might be more prone to heat sensitivity.

And don’t assume the government is yelling, even though they use all-CAPS. But do stay cool. … And keep your eye on your neighbors, in case they need your help.

The latest street improvements in WG are long overdue … unless you’re one of the drivers that keeps running them over! Oh, the irony!

Two months ago, WGx reader Spencer Sanborn lamented the disappearance of the bright yellow pedestrian signs along Lincoln Avenue, asking WGx for help:

—–Original Message—–

Sent: Monday, March 24, 2008 8:59 AM
To: WGx@willowglenextra.com

GOOD MORNING

I really dont know where to start — so I am starting with you … hoping you could point me in the RIGHT direction ..

1. the PEDESTRIAN SIGNS that are supposed to be in the middle of LINCOLN on the crosswalks have all been damaged one way or another …. who is in CHARGE of replacing these signs….

2. apartment rules and ect .. who is charge of code violations for what can and cant be displayed

thank you

your site does a great job

For #2, there’s no place like the SJ Code Enforcement Division for solving pesky city rules.

And #1 turned out to be an easy fix, too … After contacting Pierluigi Oliverio’s office and SJ’s Department of Transportation (as suggested by WGx), Spencer reports back that the signs were being fixed this weekend!

—–Original Message—–

Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 11:01 AM
To: WGx@willowglenextra.com

Just Thought I would let you know .. after some conversation with Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio and his assistant Aaron’s help …

DOT did indeed order new pedestrian signs and they should be installed sometime this weekend.

Any place in your BLOG / SITE where you can thank COUNCILMAN Pierluigi Oliverio’s office once the signs are installed would be great ….

take care and keep of the great work

Spencer Sanborn !

Those signs were originally installed on Lincoln in 2002, spread to Santana Row two years ago, and were installed in Saratoga’s downtown along Big Basin Way following a pedestrian accident last year.

For those of you keeping score at home, the signs have a functional lifetime of five years or less before they need to replaced.

Along with the many great privileges that Willow Glen residents receive each year, your neighbors also get to endure frequent WG-bashing from people who don’t live here.

But the latest barrage actually comes from within, in the form of a Yelp “review” by Nancy “agogo” M., a self-proclaimed resident of WG … who also hates her neighbors.

To prove her point, she created a fictional business to review on Yelp:

Willow Glen Schmuck & Yuppy

So I live in Willow Glen. I am a young professional who lives in the area with a wonderful hubby. We love this neighborhood, but we hate our neighbors (and we aint leavin!!!) [sic]. I have never been anywhere where the people have felt so privileged and will gladly walk ALL OVER the balls of the “lower class” which happen to be the people serving them coffee or making them a sandwich.

They eagerly flaunt the “We heart Willow Glen” signs on their lawns, license plate frame, dog collars, coffee mugs, etc… as if its a secret society of having a good gardener and a license to coast up and down Lincoln Ave at 6 mph in their stupid yellow Lamborghini. OR stop in the middle of the street and back up traffic so they can search their kids as they leave school.

She goes on to propose a pledge for local citizens. Since it quickly ran afoul of the WGx Commenting Policy, you’ll have to jump to Yelp to administer it to your family.

To further belabor her point, Nancy then posted a discussion board to provoke further conversation. Over the space of three days, the site forum has generated lots of response, but most of it portrays our neighbors quite nicely. Sorry, Nancy …

Hey, remember that novel by local author Rudolph Delson, the one that includes a character who grew up in San Jose, and shares those fond memories throughout the story? (more…)

There’s a new mural in town, and its days are probably numbered, too. But unlike the last one, complaints should probably be few and far between when it goes away. Because behind the mural at 1275 Lincoln Avenue might be a new toy store.

Check out “ToysKidsLoveNaturally.com” for the scarce details.

Adding a new twist to the Grand Opening phenomenon, the toy store that shall not be named has a website touting its secrecy. Tinkerbellish fairies adorn the splash page with the following message:

A second page provides a hint, and a prize for guessing the name correctly:

While the name may be secret, see if you can figure it out with this little hint:

What’s another name for an “Arboreal Shack in the Dale”

The “secret” webpage invites you to mail-in your guess, and maybe you’ll get a nice gift from the new toy store.

Of course, this new store will join other kid-focused businesses — new and old — along Lincoln Avenue, including brand spanking new Baby Buzz Cafe (open May 10), Art House Kids and the new Cucina Bambini further up the street, and venerable Hicklebees Books.

Oh, and the official WGx guess: The Treehouse in Willow Glen? Anyone?

Saturday is the 16th Annual “Stamp Out Hunger” event. It’s national in scope, but the impact is very local: Your regular USPS letter carrier will pick up donated food items from your mailbox and arrange for them to be delivered directly to WG’s Second Harvest Food Bank. (more…)

Congratulations to WGHS freshman softball pitcher Kelsee Graves. She’s been honored as the SJ mercury’s female high school athlete of the week:

Kelsee Graves, Willow Glen
Sport: Softball — Position: Pitcher — Class: Freshman

Accomplishment: Graves started the season as a third baseman but became a starting pitcher for the Rams. Last week, she threw back-to-back no-hitters and went 4 for 6 with four RBIs against San Jose Academy and Yerba Buena as Willow Glen clinched a tie for the West Valley Division title. Graves is 19-2 with a 1.80 ERA. “Kelsee has power and finesse, she knows how to hit her spots,” Rams Coach Scott McCollum said. “She has a full complement of pitches and uses all of them effectively.”

Of course, Kelsee’s exploits were originally uncovered by the WG Resident, with articles about the WGHS Softball team’s victory over James Lick in March, her 11th win of the year (a shutout win over Andrew Hill on April 5), and yet another victory on April 8.

Congratulations, Kelsee!

The SJ Police Department has apparently made quick work of a rising tide of car burglaries that have been occurring across Willow Glen.

Increased reports of thefts from locked and unlocked cars in wide stretches of WG started a few weeks ago on the WGNA Elist. Neighbors from Lennon, Christina, Cherry, Bennet, Kotenberg, and Camino Ricardo, started reporting a series of car burglaries. In addition to the rise in eList conversation, Willow Glen 2.0 created a section inside its Neighborhood Watch forum for tracking trends in thefts and safety concerns.

While most victims admitted their cars had been left unlocked overnight, the crimes still seemed brazen enough to trouble many residents. Some of the cars had been locked, and in most cases, thieves had been stealing small electronic devices like GPS units, MP3 players, iPods, laptops, and cell phones.

Over the weekend, police apparently found a lot of the stolen items and began contacting victims to reunite them with their lost electronics. Tessa Miller was the first to tell of her newly-found fortune:

SJPD was just here. They “happened” upon a house in the vicinity and recovered some goodies. Among them was my brother in law’s ipod and nano(he is smart enough to have his name engraved on them). Empty wallets…also a really nice camcorder that the thieves stole then used to tape themselves, so if you are missing any items please contact them. They are working on getting the belongings back to the owners … cell phone … small gps unit … camcorder … watches …

And according to the officer they will fingerprint on a vehicle (I was told by dispatch that they do not because I have prints on my car from them trying to break in.)

Hey … maybe WGx is turning into a True Crime weblog …

Parents … Kids … check out this great concert on Saturday …

Explorer Coop Preschool Hosts: The Milkshake Concert

Mark your calendars for this exciting family event on Saturday, May 10th, 10:30AM at the Markham Little Theater (Willow Glen Middle School) on Cottle Ave. Regularly seen on Noggin, PBS and Discovery Kids, the Milkshake Band is an entertaining and fun band with lots of great musical themes perfect for kids 3-8 years of age. Their music shares the Explorer spirit of learning through play, fun and creative imagination. Mom and Dad will love to dance along to the fun rock and roll beat as well! …

Share the love of music with your kids and friends! Get your tickets now! Seats are limited so don’t be left out of this exciting event! Tickets are $16. Children 18 months and younger are free. Please invite your friends and family to this one time only event sponsored by Explorer Parent Coop Preschool.

Seating is limited, so you’ll want to get your tickets this week by emailing the parent volunteers at Explorer, or printing out the order form and dropping it in the mail.

Of course, the Milkshake Band is well-regarded, including a favorable preview in a recent edition of the SJ Mercury News. Don’t miss it!

Whether it’s a dog or a cat, no one wants their beloved pet to go missing. WGx supposes the same holds true for guinea pigs, hamsters, birds (including cockatiels!), and certainly snakes.

While there is no official word on the status of the recently lost shiba inu Bella, there is help for grieving pet owners.

The City of San Jose’s Animal Care & Services (located at the SJ Animal Care Center, located at 2750 Monterey Road, not far from WG) does provide some tips for helping you find a lost cat or dog.

Their website does include some search tips (both for the real world and for online queries) a few helpful phone numbers, and even a template for a lost pet flier.

Picture here is a posting about lost cat Freya, posted recently long Willow Glen Way. WGx sincerely hopes everyone returns home safely.