Richmond Roundup

Burglar convicted for Richmond break-in
San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris announced in late February that Gary Ray, age 30, was convicted of residential burglary and possession of stolen property.

The jury, after deliberating for less than an hour, found the defendant guilty of participating in the burglary of a Richmond District home. The guilty verdict followed a week-long jury trial before Superior Court Judge Teri Jackson.

The defendant, a resident of San Francisco, was arrested on July 5, 2005, after the victims interrupted the burglary in progress. A neighbor who saw two men running through his back yard called 911. The neighbor later saw the defendant getting into a car, and relayed the license plate information to police. Some of the property from the burglary was found in the defendant's car, and the defendant's jacket and cell phone were found in shrubbery approximately 250 yards from the residence.

The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 18 years in state prison.

The conviction is the result of a lengthy investigation by the SF Police Department's burglary detail. Assistant District Attorney William Butler prosecuted the case.

Friends baking tiles to help Richmond Library
Friends of the 10th Avenue Mini Park are organizing a tile-making workshop to help fund a new play area at the Richmond/Senator Milton Marks Branch Library. The workshop will take place on Sunday, March 12, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Richmond Recreation Center, on 18th Avenue between Clement and California streets. Local tile artist Paul Burns is leading the workshop.

The tiles will feature mythological creatures. Participants can buy 6-inch-by-6-inch tiles for $100 each and sculpt their own images into wet clay. The workshop is open for children as well as adults and no experience is necessary.

Friday night programs at de Young Museum
The M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, located at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. in Golden Gate Park, has extended Friday night hours until 8:45 p.m. to provide cultural programs, including live music, art demonstrations, films, dance performances, lectures, tours and interactive art projects. The programs are scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and are free with paid admission.

The March program lineup includes a tribute to Leacock and Pennebaker through short film screenings on March 3; a lecture on feminism and art in modern-day society on March 10; an illustrated talk describing the development of the international arts and crafts movement on March 17; a dance performance, floral design demonstration and a viewing of painter Helen Chellin's reflective works on March 24; and a wearable art exhibit by students on March 31.

Admission fees range from $6 to $10. For more information, call 863-3330.

Health center offers prenatal care
The Ocean Park Health Center (OPHC), an affiliate of SF General Hospital located in the Sunset District, has care available for pregnant women looking for immediate access to prenatal health care. The center offers multilingual/multicultural comprehensive prenatal care for people who speak Mandarin, Cantonese and Russian. It is open to all women living in the City, regardless of immigration status.

On-hand at the clinic are expert family physicians, health educators and nutrition counselors for regular checkups. Eligibility workers are also available to help patients find payment sources for prenatal care, and can provide help with MediCal and WIC program applications. Additionally, public health nurses can make home visits to new mothers.

For more information about OPHC, located at 1351 24th Ave., call 682-1900.

'Long Live the Doggie'
The unveiling of a plaque, dedicated to a city landmark in the shape of a dog head, was celebrated on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, at the intersection of Sloat Boulevard and 45th Avenue. The dog head, which used to belong to the Doggie Diner, was kept and restored after it was announced the Carousel restaurant would close. When the restaurant does close, it will be demolished to become part of the Sloat Garden Center, which owns the property.

The SF Department of Public Works moved the dog's head to its current location last year, a move that also resulted in a celebration.

The plaque, which ends with the saying "Long Live the Doggie," explains the history of the dog head's creation and its role at the Doggie Diner restaurant chain.

Vols needed for Trout Days
Volunteers are needed to help staff the third annual Trout Day, an event where hundreds of Bay Area youth gather at Lake Merced to learn about fish conservation, participate in free clinics, and fish for thousands of planted trout. The event, sponsored by California Trout and PG&E, will take place Saturday, June 24.

Festivities will include a kids-only fishing pier stocked with rainbow trout, a general public fishing area, free equipment loans for kids, fishing clinics with casting lessons, safety instruction, and watershed education, snacks, giveaways and information about the conservation and the ongoing restoration of Lake Merced.

Volunteers, who must be at least 18 years old, will help set up and take down the event, staff the fishing clinics, assist with equipment, and manage the crowd.

For more information, call (408) 358-6963 or visit the Web site at www.troutday.org.