From the archives

guilty to killing ostrich

Two men accused of fatally shooting an ostrich seven times on Halloween 2006 were part of a drunken group which visited a Half Moon Bay ranch and then specifically returned with guns by themselves later that night, according to prosecutors who charged the pair with felony animal cruelty charges the week of Nov. 10, 2006.

Timothy McKevitt, 19, and Jonathan Porter, 20, both pleaded not guilty to the charges and had bail set at $25,000 each. McKevitt was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a loaded firearm while Porter is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was placed on probation in March 2005 for grand theft, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

The two men were arrested after confessing to the owner of the ostrich named Gaylord.

The men allegedly trespassed on a ranch south of Half Moon Bay in the early morning hours of Oct. 31, 2006. The two told the ostrich owner they left a party and wanted to see the ostriches — there are three on the property. After climbing the fence, the two were attacked by the startled ostrich. One man suffered two broken ribs and the other suffered scratches to his arm. Fearing for their safety, the men fired seven shots from a shotgun and a rifle, said owner Karen Schmidt.

No flood funding for Burlingame

The week of Nov. 10, 2006, Burlingame fell just short of the support it needed for its $44 million bond measure to fix an antiquated flood control system and retrofit some of the city’s key older structures.

The measure needed 66.67 percent to pass but only brought in 63.9 percent — 4,478 votes. The loss sent Burlingame officials back to the drawing board since repairs were still needed. The news was welcomed, however, by a group of citizens who were concerned about the taxation.

Measure H was approximately a 3 percent property tax increase over its life for all home buyers. The city estimated an average tax charge of $30.22 per $100,000 of the assessed value of the property — with a minimum of $4.36 and a maximum of $47.85. Opponents of the measure had claimed the taxation method was unfair to new home buyers. The defeat was welcomed news to the group.

South City schools maintain two incumbents

One new face was set to join the South San Francisco Unified School Board of Trustees the week of Nov. 10, 2006, while a husband and wife team was broken up.

Longtime trustee Romolo Braschi was just shy of the votes needed to maintain his seat on the board, which was to be filled by challenger Liza Normandy by less than 300 votes. There were seven vying for the three open positions. Incumbents Shirlee Hoch and Philip Weise remained on the board.

Hoch, 57, and Braschi, 82, were married 10 months ago. Braschi has 17 years on the board and Hoch has 13.

Lantos named chair of House International Relations Committee

The resignation of U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the shift of political power to the Democrats the week of Nov. 10, 2006 were the first in a series of changes that reshaped the country’s international image, U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos said that week.

Lantos, D-San Mateo, wanted to use his new position as chair of the House International Relations Committee and second in command on the Government Oversight Committee to also ensure proper fiscal oversight in Iraq. The war, and how it was directed under Rumsfeld, was a source of administration criticism.

Lantos was not surprised by the timing of Rumsfeld’s resignation — the day after the Republicans lost power of the House of Representatives and on the verge of losing the Senate.

Lantos said at the time he looked forward to working with newly appointed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

As chair of the International Relations Committee, Lantos said he would restore the prestige of the United States internationally and criticized the current administration for "a cocky, arrogant, an ‘I’m sure I’m right’ approach” to international issues. Lantos said he and his staff were planning for the possible takeover for "quite some time.”

From the archives highlights stories originally printed five years ago this week. It appears in the Thursday edition of the Daily Journal.