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The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority board of directors elected San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra as Chair for 2014, and Gilroy Vice Mayor Perry Woodward as Vice Chair at Thursday’s meeting. Kalra served as the VTA board’s Vice Chair for 2013 and will replace outgoing Chair Joe Pirzynski, a Los Gatos Town Councilman. Kalra has been on the VTA board since 2009 and has been a member of the VTA’s administration and finance committee where he served as Vice Chair in 2012 and as Chair in 2013, according to VTA staff. Kalra was elected to the San Jose Council in 2008, and he represents the City’s District 2 (south San Jose).“VTA has an exciting year ahead from furthering work on the BART extension to Silicon Valley to establishing Bus Rapid Transit throughout the County to working with a new general manager,” Kalra said. “I’m looking forward to partnering with the community, VTA employees and others to make transportation even better throughout Santa Clara County and the region.”Woodward has served as a VTA director since 2010, and in 2013 has been on the board’s administration and finance committee. He is the Mayor Pro Tempore of Gilroy, and was elected to the City Council in 2007. “VTA is facing an exciting future, and I’m happy my colleagues have expressed the confidence in me to help guide it through the upcoming year,” Woodward said. “VTA will need to think creatively and act decisively to meet the growing demands of the traveling public. It will take the board’s leadership and guidance to keep VTA moving down the right path.”Both Kalra and Woodward also serve on Caltrain’s Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board.VTA is responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; and countywide transportation planning services throughout the county including the cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale.

HONORS: Katelynn Moeller

Seriously, no time like the present for a rousing rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Nights and nights in the 20s. The garden is a mess and when I left the cut Christmas tree outside for one night and filled the red bucket with water, it froze solid as a hockey rink. Good thing we didn’t shell out for any front-porch poinsettias. Always hiccup on the poinsettia pronunciation ... poins easy, it’s the setia or setta part that’s the stumble.

So you've winterized your car, your house, and your lawn. But what about your pet? It may sound amusing at first, but with winter already bringing Arctic winds and tumbling temperatures this year - not to mention an abundance of snow, sleet and freezing rain - it's important that you take the time to prepare your pet adequately for the season. Here are some winter threats that lurk around, as well as tips on how to keep your pet safe.

Lisa Faria and the LPF team are proud to announce their acceptance into Gilroy LeTip.

When Hans Christian Anderson wrote “The Snow Queen” in 1845, he could never have fathomed in his wildest imagination (and as we all know he had a wild imagination), that his story would become a steampunk musical. He never dreamed that in the never, never, once-upon-a-time land of future theatre there was a director named Rick Lombardo and an associate director named Kirsten Brandt who would supply songs and lyrics and a reworked story. A talented Haddon Kime adds music to create an enchanting (at times confusing) “Snow Queen” that tells a story of valor, loyalty and the triumph of love.

St. Peter and other apostles of the early church devoted themselves entirely to spreading the Gospel, living on money given by church members. St. Paul, a late addition to the group, frequently performed paid outside work so as not to financially burden the young churches he founded. Since his occupation was making tents, self-supporting or “non-stipendiary” ministry is often called “tentmaking.”

In my Christmas column last year, I wrote about my family's Christmas Eve menu and how it changed when I began hosting duties. I shared the recipes for Decadent Hot Chocolate and Spiced Apple Cider. I also mentioned one other item on the menu called sfingi. This week, I describe what it is and share the recipe.