Week in Review

The temporary gag order against accused triple-murder suspect Eddie Rapoza was thrown out Monday after a judge agreed it would do little to silence the Foster City man.

The decision frees Rapoza, 37, and any witnesses or attorneys involved to speak about the case. Since June 15, all have been barred from saying anything other than objective information such as scheduling times. Rapoza himself, though, refused to heed the order and continued to speak out.

Last week, Rapoza knowingly violated the temporary gag order by contacting the Daily Journal which published a story in the July 15 edition. Rapoza once again questioned his court-appointed attorneys and called for a speedy trial. His refusal to comply helped lead to the denial of a more permanent order.

Often using the Scott Peterson capital murder case in the adjoining courtroom as an example, Judge Carl Holm ruled that Rapoza's frequent contact with the media would not prevent him from having a fair trial this fall.

The comparisons to Peterson's case have already been drawn and Holm said he expected them to increase once the sensational double-murder trial closes. However, as in Peterson, a jury willing to set aside publicity and opinions can be found, Holm said.

West Nile virus arrives

The West Nile virus landed in the Bay Area for the first time and county officials announced this week they are ready to swat the troublesome disease away.

A dead crow was found on a residential lawn in east San Jose on June 28. After a testing process, Santa Clara County officials this week confirmed it to be the first case in Northern California.

The vast majority of people bitten by infected mosquitos won't experience anything beyond the typical bug bite.

Only about one in 150 people bitten by infected mosquitos suffer long-term neurological damage, he said. These people can suffer symptoms that may have long-lasting impacts on their sight and gait. Just a small fraction of these people will die as a result, he said.

About 250 people died from West Nile virus last year. To put things in perspective, about 30,000 people die from influenza every year.

High-risk sex offenders

on the increase

There is a growing number of high-risk sex offenders making San Mateo County their home, but few residents are using the tools available to track their whereabouts.

There are 829 serious or high-risk sex offenders in San Mateo County. The majority of them live in Redwood City, San Mateo, South San Francisco and Daly City. Six of them are high-risk sex offenders convicted of multiple violent crimes. One is a fugitive unaccounted for since 2002.

The stagnant number jumped by 50 percent when two men moved to the county this year. One man moved to Redwood City last week and another moved to Daly City earlier this month.

Redwood City police this week announced that Douglas Henry Lecorno, 54, is living at the Garden Apartments in Redwood City. He was convicted of multiple sex acts with children under the age of 14 in Washington state.

Teacher contract approved, but dispute remains

Unable to come to an agreement after months of haggling, two versions of a teacher contract have now been ratified in the county's biggest school district - and the district and teachers' union both maintain theirs is the right one.

The board of trustees in the San Mateo-Foster City School District Thursday night ratified a version it believes to be right. The teachers' union ratified its own version weeks ago.

Nobody is sure what the next move will be. There is renewed discussion of a possible teacher strike.

The two parties were on the brink of finally settling the long, bitter feud last month when a "wording error" was pointed out in the contract drawn up with the help of a state mediator.

At issue is the amount of retirement money teachers would receive once they turn 65. As the contract stands, district officials say the word "supplement" in front of the $97 monthly benefit for this group should not be there. The error would give retired employees over the age of 65 an additional $97 a month in benefits.

No charges to be filed for public works contracts

District Attorney Jim Fox declined to press charges against the city of San Carlos for offering lucrative contracts to its public works director.

In a letter to the city, Fox said the problem, if one existed at all, is only a "technical violation." His office cleared the city of any wrongdoing in how it awarded several contracts to Parviz Mokhtari, the private consultant who works as the public works director.

Fox said not only did he believe there was no merit to the grand jury's claims but that he did not think it "likely a jury would convict on these facts."

The grand jury slammed the city because officials did not solicit any other bids before giving Mokhtari Engineering $500,000 in contracts, including the recently completed Industrial Road improvements.

The investigation was the first instance the grand jury requested Fox's office to look into accusations of a city's conflict of interest. In a scathing March 31 report, the civil grand jury said the city gave a sense of impropriety even if it had not violated conflict of interest laws.