Do you have large items such as mattresses, sofas, refrigerators, or tires, cluttering up your home or garage? San José residents with garbage cart service (single-family homes, most townhomes and mobile homes) can schedule appointments to have their junk picked up at the curb. Schedule a pickup by calling your recycling collection company. San José residents with garbage dumpster service (apartments, most condominiums) should contact their property manager or recycling

A note from Mr. Roadshow: I love getting monthly emails from Loui Tucker, the San Jose woman who has led an Adopt-A-Highway cleanup crew on Interstate 280 and I-880 near Valley Fair mall for 11 years. Read on for the latest from her. Q Two weeks ago we found three checks totaling over $20,000 from the Santa Clara County Assessor near an onramp. The envelopes had been mailed 10 days earlier. We returned them to the address listed. The man who answered the door said someone

Drive through any neighborhood in San Jose and there it is, a blight every bit as unsightly as graffiti: Nailed to street trees, duct taped to signal poles, lamp posts and traffic control devices, it is the ubiquitous lost pet, garage/yard sale sign or small business advertisement, many of which are left up for weeks if not months. There is nothing wrong with searching for Fluffy, holding a garage sale or advertising your business. Garage sales provides a host of benefits — r

Utility boxes are for the most part rectangular, gray, metal structures housing needed electrical wiring. They are also both drab and ubiquitous. Now there are exceptions in the form of original artwork transforming drab to dramatic and gray to colorful. Art Box Project San Jose is behind these mini street beautification efforts bringing smiles to passersby. Tina Morrill, a community activist completing her master’s degree in public administration at San Jose State University

Blight has been a problem plaguing the Buena Vista Neighborhood for some time, one of major sources of this blight comes from the illegal dumping of furniture, mattress, and other garbage on the streets. Buena Vista has a number of hot-spots, and one the biggest is the fragmented parcel along the bend in Chiechi Ave. This city owned land is unused and largely ignored by the neighborhood and its out-of-the-way location makes it easy for people to drop stuff off and drive awa

SAN JOSE — For South Bay drivers disgusted by graffiti-covered overpasses and tagged train trestles, something is finally being done. Next week Caltrans, San Jose and Union Pacific workers will combine to scrub the train crossing over Highway 101 near 13th Street and repaint it. A few days later, the same cleanup will be performed on the 101-McKee Road bridge and soon after on the Bird Avenue crossing over I-280 west of downtown San Jose, where a large yellow “RIP TOMMY” ta

Why would anyone stand on the shoulder of a freeway with cars and trucks whizzing by at 65 mph, or faster, to pick up plastic bags, cigarette butts, beer bottles and trash? For Loui Tucker, it’s about making a difference. For Carlo Pedron, it’s the challenge of making it happen every month. For John Cribbs, it’s the feeling of accomplishment. And for Jim Schallau, it’s knowing that something has to be done and a willingness to do it. They’re all part of the Caltrans A