Richmond Roundup

Telephone scams spread
A fast-spreading scam involving phone calls, e-mails and web pages is costing victims up to $24,000 each in fraudulent phone charges.

According to AT&T Field Service Manager Sandi Van Handel, victims often get an urgent message at home instructing them to call a number with an 809 area code. The area code is located in the British Virgin Islands and is similar to a 900 number in the United States that charges, if dialed, up to $2,425 per-minute. The British Virgin Islands' number is not under the regulation of U.S. 900 numbers.

Regulations include notification of charges and rates involved with dialing the number and a period where the call can be terminated with no subsequent charge. Handel, along with the phone service provider Verizon and the National Fraud Information Center, a consumer advocate group, is warning people not to dial area code 809 and other area codes, including 284 and 876, because they could be subject to fraudulent activity.

LiveCam at Baker Beach
Every minute during daylight hours, a new LiveCam installed at the Baker Beach Apartments at Lands End and Seacliff records an image. On clear days, the public can view the area from the California Palace of the Legion of Honor to Mile Rock Lighthouse. Interpretive text also describes the image, even if it is clouded by fog.

To view the latest image, go to www.applesolutions.us/webcam.html.

New store, cafe to open
The M.H. de Young Museum Store and Cafe, located at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in Golden Gate Park, opens to the public Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The opening marks the first time any portion of the museum building is accessible to the public and it provides park visitors with a sneak peek inside the new facility, which is expected to open its doors for a grand opening celebration Oct. 15.

New start for 60 Plus
Sixty Plus memberships at San Francisco State University are open to anyone ages 60 years or more. The annual membership fee of $75 offers individuals the opportunity to continue learning and foster personal growth by auditing semester classes and using the library, computer labs and other campus facilities for free. Members can register for fall classes and other activities beginning Wednesday, Aug. 24.

As part of Sixty Plus, members meet on campus twice monthly to gather socially and listen to speakers, such as university professors and community personalities, discuss science, the arts, history, sports and current events. Members also attend special events, including the San Francisco Ballet, opera and symphony productions and annual luncheons and picnics.

For more information, call 566-9347.

Local youth wins award
Presidio Middle School student Svetlana Sandler was recently named a United States National Award Winner in Science by the United States Achievement Academy. The Academy, which recognizes less than 10 percent of all American high school students, selects winners based on the recommendation of teachers, such as Mr. Gortney in Sandler's case, academic performance, aptitude, leadership qualities, cooperative spirit and enthusiasm.

New Semester Starts at CCSF
Prospective students of City College of San Francisco can now apply and register online for Fall 2005 semester courses, which begin on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Space is still available in classes in numerous departments, including African American Studies, Computer Science, Graphic Communications, Labor and Community Studies and more. Credit courses cost $26 per unit. For a complete list of all courses and detailed admission information, call 239-3285 or visit www.ccsf.edu.

Richmond student graduates
Richmond District resident Austin Ogilvie graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall.

Ogilvie graduated June 5 with 231 of his classmates from the independent secondary school, which enrolls 850 students from 39 states and 28 countries. This spring Ogilvie made the dean's list at Choate Rosemary Hall. He plans to attend Middlebury College in the fall.

New West Portal book available
"San Francisco Neighborhoods: West Portal," is an historical look at the West Portal District. The book's author, Richard Brandi, is a fourth generation San Franciscan and historian who has lectured about the city's history and architecture for the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society and the San Francisco Public Library. According to Brandi, the book takes a good look at the developers, architects and builders responsible for creating Forest Hill, St. Francis Wood and West Portal. The book includes vintage photographs of homes, historical maps, Laguna Honda Hospital and earthquake refugees. San Francisco West Portal Neighborhoods, $19.99, Arcadia Publishing, is available at area bookstores, independent retailers, on-line bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.