Los Gatos Ca

The football game is over and the players' ritual begins. Before heading to the showers, the victorious Los Gatos High team members head toward an end zone and take a knee before Charlie Wedemeyer, the most famous coach in the school's history. The players form a semicircle around the side of Wedemeyer's van, which is parked in its usual spot just behind the goal post. They wait to hear his observations and words of encouragement, even though he is no longer the varsity coach but an unofficial consultant for the freshman-sophomore team.

The football game is over and the players' ritual begins. Before heading to the showers, the victorious Los Gatos High team members head toward an end zone and take a knee before Charlie Wedemeyer, the most famous coach in the school's history. The players form a semicircle around the side of Wedemeyer's van, which is parked in its usual spot just behind the goal post. They wait to hear his observations and words of encouragement, even though he is no longer the varsity coach but an unofficial consultant for the freshman-sophomore team.

Ordinarily, the scam might have worked. Throw on some trendy sweats with the Brazilian colors, yellow and green; speak in broken English, nod reverently after saying Pele's name and ask for a bottle of Brahma beer. No one here at Johnny's Northside Grill on Santa Cruz Avenue is saying what tipped them that the man who wandered in about three weeks ago claiming to be a Brazilian soccer star wasn't a player. How did they know?

Twenty-one years after he disappeared, and eight years after his bones were found, police have identified Russell Jordan's body and cause of death. Police said Wednesday that an FBI lab in Washington, D.C., found DNA evidence that confirmed Jordan's identity and established that the 16-year-old was a homicide victim. "Back in '95, we were pretty sure the remains were those of Russell Jordan, given the belt buckle and the macrame belt," said Det.

Transportation When the 6.9 temblor struck, it sent a 30-foot piece of the Bay Bridge crashing into its lower tier, and made the columns supporting the Nimitz Freeway portion of nearby Interstate 880 crumble like dominos, virtually paralyzing the entire Bay Area. The San Mateo Bridge also had to be closed after the quake. Those traveling by subway had to grope through darkness to get out. The system was shut down until morning.

A balcony collapsed and left 13 people injured during the annual Old Town Festival Saturday, Los Gatos Police reported. At least three people were hospitalized, according to first reports from officers at the scene. The balcony, on an old building, was packed with people when it went down, one eyewitness said.

Harry Fromm can spot a building inspector a mile away. When two of them showed up Friday at the end of the sidewalk leading to his 108-year-old, two-story Victorian house, Fromm was quick to react. Standing in front of his quake-damaged wreck of a house, Fromm declared in a no-nonsense tone, "The house is going to be saved." The inspector looked up and said, "I hope so. It's wonderful."

If Lysbet Wright had paused to think about what was happening, if she had stopped to ask whether a slight, middle-aged woman could actually do what she ultimately did, both Wright and her frail, elderly mother might not have escaped Tuesday's earthquake alive. When the shaking began, they were at home in their Victorian home in Los Gatos, a grand, century-old structure built by a New England railroad magnate.

At a local supermarket--not far from where the mall had collapsed in Tuesday's earthquake and two had died--a quiet line of anxious shoppers stretched for several blocks Wednesday, waiting as long as three hours to stock up on candles, flashlight batteries and canned goods. Max Spitzer, the manager of a neighborhood video store, said that to prevent hoarding, supermarket clerks were taking the shoppers' lists and doing their marketing for them. "It's cash only," he said.

Twenty-one years after he disappeared, and eight years after his bones were found, police have identified Russell Jordan's body and cause of death. Police said Wednesday that an FBI lab in Washington, D.C., found DNA evidence that confirmed Jordan's identity and established that the 16-year-old was a homicide victim. "Back in '95, we were pretty sure the remains were those of Russell Jordan, given the belt buckle and the macrame belt," said Det.

Ordinarily, the scam might have worked. Throw on some trendy sweats with the Brazilian colors, yellow and green; speak in broken English, nod reverently after saying Pele's name and ask for a bottle of Brahma beer. No one here at Johnny's Northside Grill on Santa Cruz Avenue is saying what tipped them that the man who wandered in about three weeks ago claiming to be a Brazilian soccer star wasn't a player. How did they know?

A balcony collapsed and left 13 people injured during the annual Old Town Festival Saturday, Los Gatos Police reported. At least three people were hospitalized, according to first reports from officers at the scene. The balcony, on an old building, was packed with people when it went down, one eyewitness said.

Harry Fromm can spot a building inspector a mile away. When two of them showed up Friday at the end of the sidewalk leading to his 108-year-old, two-story Victorian house, Fromm was quick to react. Standing in front of his quake-damaged wreck of a house, Fromm declared in a no-nonsense tone, "The house is going to be saved." The inspector looked up and said, "I hope so. It's wonderful."

If Lysbet Wright had paused to think about what was happening, if she had stopped to ask whether a slight, middle-aged woman could actually do what she ultimately did, both Wright and her frail, elderly mother might not have escaped Tuesday's earthquake alive. When the shaking began, they were at home in their Victorian home in Los Gatos, a grand, century-old structure built by a New England railroad magnate.

Transportation When the 6.9 temblor struck, it sent a 30-foot piece of the Bay Bridge crashing into its lower tier, and made the columns supporting the Nimitz Freeway portion of nearby Interstate 880 crumble like dominos, virtually paralyzing the entire Bay Area. The San Mateo Bridge also had to be closed after the quake. Those traveling by subway had to grope through darkness to get out. The system was shut down until morning.

At a local supermarket--not far from where the mall had collapsed in Tuesday's earthquake and two had died--a quiet line of anxious shoppers stretched for several blocks Wednesday, waiting as long as three hours to stock up on candles, flashlight batteries and canned goods. Max Spitzer, the manager of a neighborhood video store, said that to prevent hoarding, supermarket clerks were taking the shoppers' lists and doing their marketing for them. "It's cash only," he said.

A sharp earthquake centered on or near the San Andreas Fault struck Northern California early Tuesday, apparently causing a 19-year-old man to panic and plunge to his death from a fifth-story apartment window. The 5.2-magnitude earthquake brought scores of calls to police and fire departments. Eleven aftershocks, including ones of 4.2 and 4.8 magnitude, followed Tuesday morning.

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A sharp earthquake centered on or near the San Andreas Fault struck Northern California early Tuesday, apparently causing a 19-year-old man to panic and plunge to his death from a fifth-story apartment window. The 5.2-magnitude earthquake brought scores of calls to police and fire departments. Eleven aftershocks, including ones of 4.2 and 4.8 magnitude, followed Tuesday morning.