MAJOR U.S. AIRPORTS ARE REPORTING HEAVY TRAFFIC TODAY AS THANKSGIVING TRAVEL INCREASED AND SAN JOSE?S MINETA AIRPORT IS ALSO PACKED. BUT THE AIRPORT REPORTS TRAVELERS ARE TAKING THE ADVICE OF LEAVING FOR THE AIRPORT EARLY. MOST TRAVELERS AT MINETA AIRPORT ALSO PACKED LUGGAGE CORRECTLY WHICH HAS MADE FOR A SMOOTH DEPARTURE FOR MOST PASSENGERS. AIRPORT DIRECTORS ARE PREDICTING THAT SUNDAY WILL BE EVEN BUSIER THAN TODAY.WITH AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS UNDERWAY, THINGS HAVE CHANGED AT MINETA SAN JOS? INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SINCE LAST THANKSGIVING. LOG ON TO SLC.ORG FOR INFORMATION ON TRAFFIC AND THE NEW ENTRACE ON SKY PORT DIRVE. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM THE AIRPORT'S WEB SITE WILL MAKE YOUR TRIP TO THE AIRPORT A LITTLE EASIER:
NEW ENTRANCE AT SKYPORT DRIVE. THE AIRPORT HAS A CONVENIENT NEW ENTRANCE FROM ROUTE 87 AT SKYPORT DRIVE. SKYPORT DRIVE CAN ALSO BE ACCESSED FROM HIGHWAY 880 BY TAKING THE NORTH FIRST STREET EXIT, HEADING NORTH AND TURNING LEFT ONTO SKYPORT DRIVE.
ENTRANCE FROM COLEMAN AVENUE. SOME OF THE ROADWAYS ON-SITE HAVE CHANGED. WITH AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS UNDERWAY, THE ENTRANCE FROM COLEMAN AVENUE IS NOW A NARROW, SINGLE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION.
NO WAITING CURBSIDE FOR ARRIVALS. CURBS ARE FOR THE IMMEDIATE LOADING AND UNLOADING OF BAGGAGE AND PASSENGERS. IF YOUR PARTY IS NOT STANDING READY AT THE CURB, PARK IN THE SHORT-TERM PARKING LOT AND MEET YOUR GUESTS INSIDE THE TERMINAL.
AIRPORT STAFF READY TO HELP YOU. INFORMATION BOOTHS ARE LOCATED IN BOTH TERMINALS NEAR BAGGAGE CLAIM AREAS. ALSO, ROVING AIRPORT AMBASSADORS IN BRIGHT BLUE VESTS WILL BE ON HAND WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 AND SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28 TO ASSIST YOU.
DURING THE HOLIDAY TRAVEL SEASON, THE TSA OFFERS THESE SECURITY CHECKPOINT TIPS TO HELP KEEP SECURITY LINES MOVING:
HAVE YOUR BOARDING PASS AND A PHOTO ID (DRIVER?S LICENSE OR PASSPORT) IN HAND.
PLACE COATS AND JACKETS IN THE TRAY.
EMPTY YOUR POCKETS OF ALL METAL OBJECTS, LIKE KEYS, CELL PHONES, CHANGE, WATCHES AND PENS.
DON?T BRING WRAPPED GIFTS. THEY MAY BE UNWRAPPED AND INSPECTED.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SJC.ORG OR CALL AIRPORT CUSTOMER SERVICE AT
(408) 501-0979. MOTORISTS CAN ALSO TUNE THEIR RADIOS TO 530 AM WITHIN TWO MILES OF SJC FOR CURRENT INFORMATION ON AIRPORT TRAFFIC, PARKING AND SECURITY.
MINETA SAN JOS? INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SJC), A SELF-SUPPORTING ENTERPRISE, IS OWNED AND
OPERATED BY THE CITY OF SAN JOS?. SJC SERVED 10.7 MILLION PASSENGERS AND HANDLED APPROXIMATELY 240 MILLION POUNDS OF AIR CARGO IN 2003. SJC HAS 184 FLIGHTS A DAY ON 12 DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS TO 33 NONSTOP DESTINATIONS.
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2 SANTA CRUZ RESIDENTS WERE ARRESTED THIS WEEK ON SUSPICION OF STALKING. IN THE 1ST CASE, 18-YEAR-OLD FERNANDO ALVAREZ WAS REPORTEDLY WARNED TO STAY AWAY FROM A JUVENILE GIRL, BY HER FATHER. INSTEAD, THE FATHER REPORTS ALVAREZ CONTINUED TO HARASS HIS DAUGHTER, AND MAKE ATTEMPTS TO SEE HER. AFTER 4 MONTHS OF INVESTIGATING, SANTA CRUZ POLICE DETECTIVES WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP PROBABLE CAUSE FOR THE ARREST. IN THE 2ND CASE 60-YEAR-OLD MARY KAY WAS ARRESTED FOR STALKING. THE CASE INVOLVES AN ADULT STUDENT AND TEACHER RELATIONSHIP. THE VICTIM SAID A NUMBER OF UNWANTED COMMUNICATIONS CONTINUED, EVEN AFTER A RESTRAINING ORDER WAS ISSUED. AFTER A 1 MONTH INVESTIGATION, A WARRANT WAS OBTAINED AND KAY WAS ARRESTED. THE SANTA CRUZ POLICE DEPARTMENT WANTS THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THEY TAKE REPORTS OF STALKING AND HARASSMENT VERY SERIOUSLY, AND DILIGENTLY INVESTIGATE ALL SUCH REPORTS.

THE FINAL PROVISIONAL AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS WERE COUNTED YESTERDAY, AND SO THE OFFICIAL COUNT IS NOW DONE. THE RECORD-HIGH VOTER REGISTRATION LED TO AN ALL-TIME HIGH VOTER TURNOUT IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. 83.2 PERCENT OF VOTERS ACTUALLY VOTED THIS TIME, AND THAT BREAKS ALL THE COUNTY?S OLD RECORDS. THE NEXT HIGHEST TURNOUT WAS 79.9 PERCENT IN 1988, WHEN GEORGE H. W. BUSH WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY TURNOUT WAS PART OF A NATIONAL TREND IN WHICH AN ESTIMATED 120 MILLION AMERICANS VOTED, AND THAT?S THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE TURNOUT SINCE 1968.

Tuesday?s final tally also gave closure to races that were too close to call on the day after Election Day.

- In the Ben Lomond Fire District, the 2 seats will go to roger lee and William ?biff? beltzer.

- Doug Keegan, won the trustee area 2 seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board.

- Another close race was in the Bonny Doon School District, where second-place finisher Michael Zucker beat out third-place finisher Michelle Whitesell by 9 votes.

A SANTA CRUZ COUNTY JAIL INMATE WAS FOUND DEAD IN HIS CELL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. 41 YEAR-OLD GARRETT JAMES GEDDES IS BELIEVED TO HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE. GEDDES WAS LAST BOOKED INTO SANTA CRUZ COUNTY JAIL ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20TH, ON FRESH CHARGES RELATED TO A VEHICLE THEFT (AND A WARRANT FOR AN ESCAPE FROM MARCH OF 2002), WHEN HE WAS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY JAIL ON A NARCOTICS-RELATED OFFENSE.