A TIME TO CONSERVE ... The ongoing drought recently led Palo Alto to roll out stricter water-use limits. On June 20, the city implemented Stage II restrictions as outlined in its Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which calls for up to 20% in cutbacks. It includes a regulation that limits the watering of lawns and ornamental landscapes (defined by the city as landscaping for decorative purposes) to two days a week. Residents with odd-numbered or numberless addresses are permitted to water on Mondays and Thursdays, and those with even-numbered addresses may water their landscapes on Tuesdays and Fridays. The restrictions also affect nonresidential customers, such as businesses, who are permitted to water their landscape before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on any day. Customers are allowed to water trees and places with functional turf, such as playing fields and golf courses, as needed for health and safety purposes, according to the city. The contingency plan also calls on restaurants and other food service providers to serve water only at a customer's request. Hotels and motels are also required to post signs in their rooms suggesting that guests not have towels and linens sent to the laundry on a daily basis. For more information, visit bit.ly/3a5qX3r.

THE WAITING GAME IS OVER ... Mark Appel's career as a professional baseball player over the past nine years is finally looking up. The 30-year-old pitcher finally made his MLB debut last week with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Stanford alumnus was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2013, when he was selected by the Houston Astros. The Texas native told ESPN that it was a "pretty surreal" experience. ESPN reported that he's "the oldest former top overall pick from the June draft (since 1965) at the time of his MLB debut." While on the mound, Appel pitched a scoreless ninth inning. The June 29 game ended in a 4-1 win for the Atlanta Braves. The loss didn't take away from the milestone for the 6-foot, 5-inch pitcher, who turns 31 years old later this month. He used the occasion to share an inspirational message on his personal Instagram account. "Whatever moment you are in, be present and stay focused, even if you struggle. Do your best, even if you fail. Keep going, even if you have to start over," he wrote in a July 6 post. "Because it is the moment that leads you to the next. And the next. And the next. And before you know it ... You might look up and watch your dreams come true."

BETTER TOGETHER ... AbilityPath of Redwood City and Via Services of Santa Clara have joined forces. Last week, the two nonprofits announced their merger, which went into effect Friday, July 1. The organizations offer services to children, youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in the Peninsula and south bay. "Our two organizations proactively pursued this affiliation opportunity as strategic action to first mitigate some of the challenges posed by the pandemic, and second to expand and add new, innovative programs to better serve the community," AbilityPath CEO Bryan Neider said. "This strategic alliance will better position us to invest in our incredible staff and the programs we deliver to the individuals and families we serve." The merger is the fifth for AbilityPath since 2019. Palo Altans may recall the union between Abilites United and GatePath in 2019, which were around for 65 years and nearly 100 years, respectively, before they became one. The organizations marked the new chapter by blending their names. Matt Bell, Via Services's executive director, said the organizations are aligned "in terms of the services we provide to the disability community and our vision for creating a future opportunity for all. This merger will allow us to achieve our collective goal of ensuring that the individuals and families we currently serve can count on us for the support they need, and also help meet the needs of hundreds of additional individuals who join the disability community each year," he said. AbilityPath and Via Services will offer services at 15 program sites that span from Daly City to Santa Clara.