Escondido City Officials Get Raises
The City Manager and the City Attorney will both be paid $161,000 a year under a new contract. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20030509-9999_1mi9esco2.html

Escondido teachers threaten to strike
Escondido High School teachers are working on contract negotiations, asking for a 3.9% raise and better medical coverage.
http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030509/60743.html
Or in related news, read about how the state budget crisis is affecting our schools, creating hiring freezes, cancelling fieldtrips and more:
http://www.escusd.k12.ca.us/crisis.htm

Why Representative Bernie Sanders did not vote for the Patriot Act
California Representative Bernie Sanders writes an article explaining why he is opposed to the Patriot Act and why he introduced the Freedom to Read Protection Act.
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0508-10.htm

Personal account of what Patriot Act now makes legal
The writer of the linked article tells his nightmare experience while out for dinner one evening.
http://www.alternet.org/print.html?StoryID=15770

Librarians and the Patriot Act
Do you know how the Patriot Act affects libraries and how librarians are responding to the new rules? Here are four articles that show different points of view so you can make up your mind about the Patriot Act and it's effect on your rights:

"Checking What You Check Out" (from Time magazine)
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1101030512-449469%2C00.html

"Libraries' Responses Differ" (from Rolling Meadows Review, Chicago-area)
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/rm/05-08-03-29048.html

"Hightower: Shredding Ashcroft" (from AlterNet, a project of the Independent Media Institute) http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15843

"Government Doublethink: Protection or Suppression in Information" (from Information Today, Inc.)
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/may03/drake.shtml

Celebrate famous moms in honor of Mother's Day
Biography.com has assembled a list of 100 famous moms in honor of Mother's Day (this Sunday, May 11th)
http://www.biography.com/features/mother/main.html

Children's Pet Show at the Main Library
Remember the Children's Pet Show is being held at the Main Library this Saturday, May 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. For more information, call (760) 839-4837 or see the official poster:
http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/library/children/petshow2.jpg

Why libraries are still better than the web
Read the PC Magazine article and find out a couple of the reasons why:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1049760,00.asp

McCarthy Senate Investigations Transcripts Made Public
"History is a powerful teacher, and these documents offer many lessons on the importance of open government, due process and respect for individual rights. Democracy means people have a right to express peaceful dissent from the prevailing view of the government, and the government is obligated to permit and defend that right. Those lessons will hopefully never be forgotten." - Senator Carl Levin
After 50 years, the transcripts of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy's investigations into nearly 500 people's loyalty to the U.S. and/or allegiance to the Communist party have been released.
http://govt-aff.senate.gov/050503presspsi.htm

Noteworthy books out this summer
Check out Book Magazine's highlights for books due out this summer:
http://www.bookmagazine.com/issue28/summer.shtml

We Love Children and Families! Escondido Civic Faire
Come spend the day in Grape Day Park Saturday, May 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Learn more about your community - what it can offer you and what you can give back. Information will be available about health care, child care, recreation, education, cultural arts of Escondido - how you can benefit or how you can volunteer. There will also be entertainment by local martial arts, music and dance groups. Food vendors will also be on hand.

Old Escondido Neighborhood Annual Home Tour
See four examples of Bungalow-style houses in this year's Old Escondido Home Tour Sunday, May 11th from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The tour is part of National Historic Preservation week (May 11-17). Tickets are $10 and are available at the Escondido Historical Office in Grape Day Park. Call (760) 743-8207 for more information.

Old Escondido Neighborhood Annual Home Tour
See four examples of Bungalow-style houses in this year's Old Escondido Home Tour Sunday, May 11th from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The tour is part of National Historic Preservation week (May 11-17). Tickets are $10 and are available at the Escondido Historical Office in Grape Day Park. Call (760) 743-8207 for more information.

Teens: Read a good book lately?
Teens - now you can submit book reviews to the Escondido Public Library website. Reviews will be posted on a web page for others to read. To submit your review, go to:
http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/library/teens/bookreview.htm

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
To find out more about this holiday, check out the World Book encyclopedia's special feature:
http://www2.worldbook.com/features/features.asp?feature=cinco&page=html/cinco.htm&direct=no

Cuban librarians arrested
Fourteen Cuban librarians have been arrested and given prison sentences for providing library materials to Cuban citizens which "undermine Cuba's national sovereignty". For more information, see the Friends of Cuban libraries website:
http://www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org/Recent%20News%202.htm

Mother's Day Project for Kids
Local children are encouraged to participate in this Escondido Arts Project event, Saturday, May 10th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Escondido Municipal Gallery (142 West Grand Ave). Children will create flower arrangements using lavendar. Materials are free, but children must be accompanied by a guardian and reservations should be made. Call (760) 480-4101 for more information.