Inflation coming for Costco’s tube steaks?

The low-cost wiener, with all of the fixings, has been especially welcome as inflation rages throughout this great land. We are truly blessed here in San Mateo County with a grand total of four bustling Costco outlets, two of them in South San Francisco (such overabundance in one town is a notable plus for the Chamber of Commerce there) and one each in Foster City and Redwood City.

But devotees of these popular shopping sites got a shock last week when a rumor popped up on Twitter alleging that the $1.50 frankfurter was going to be hiked in price to $2.50.

There was instant outrage. Costco’s share price dipped at about the same time as the “news” broke in cyberspace. That could have been a coincidence, of course, since Wall Street has been in a steep and disturbing decline this month.

Nonetheless, Costco officials quickly quashed the bogus report, promising that the cost of the in-store menu specialty was going to remain the same, regardless of pressure from inflation or anything else.

Things calmed down. People relaxed. Visions of great gobs of mustard and relish returned. But a lesson was learned: Don’t mess with a culinary tradition.

A SOLEMN MEMORIAL DAY EVENT: It’s a San Mateo County Memorial Day tradition that’s now in its 81st year.

The Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno will again be the location for a solemn celebration of the military veterans who have been buried there through the decades. A concert will begin at 10:30 a.m.; the main program will commence at 11 a.m.

There will be several speeches, a wreath presentation and a Coast Guard flyover to highlight the morning’s schedule, all arranged by the Avenue of the Flags Committee.

The cemetery, which embraces 145,000 veterans, is located at 1300 Sneath Lane off El Camino Real. For more information, call (650) 589-7737.

NANCY JEWELL CROSS PASSES: Decades ago, Nancy Jewell Cross became something of a quirky legend along the Peninsula.

A tireless advocate for a range of causes, she filed countless lawsuits in local courts. She became the bane of bureaucrats and elected officials, not to mention those connected to the legal system. Most of her litigation did not bear fruit. But she persisted well into her golden years.

She also ran unsuccessfully for public office here, including self-promoted runs for state attorney general and seats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Years later, she moved to the East Bay. Finally, she ran out of time. She passed away this past March in San Francisco. She was 101.

FIT BAD BOY? NOT EVEN CLOSE: This charming chunk of enticing spam wafted blithely into our bulging email account last week: “Male escort — High-paid job for fit bad boy. Urgent need.” Needless to say, someone out there in the electronic ether clearly has the wrong address. “Fit bad boy?” Not even close. More like, “Flabby fat fellow.” Urgent? Good luck with that.

THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULDN’T: The Caltrain Twitter account is accurate, informative, current and very helpful. It’s also creative. Last Tuesday, the account’s manager let us know that Caltrain SB 658 “is struggling at MVW (Mountain View).” The immediate mental picture of a faltering locomotive trying pathetically to function somehow was almost sad.

FIGHTING CHANCE IN BRISBANE: Love the stated motto of Brisbane’s Fire in the Ring youth boxing club: “Giving kids a fighting chance, one round at a time.” The amateur boxing establishment is located at 180 Industrial Way in that North County village.

John Horgan, whose San Mateo neighborhood boxing career as a preteen was short-lived, forgettable and winless, can be reached by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com.