Monthly Archives: August 2017

Despite the Senate’s latest misguided attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare), it survived. Republicans tried and failed more than 50 times to eliminate basic and essential health care services for everyone, especially our most vulnerable communities. Although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan suggested that they might finally move on to other issues, our health care safety net remains vulnerable with opponents vowing to “kill it with a thousand cuts.” We cannot let that happen.

If you’re looking for free family fun this Saturday, Aug. 27, downtown Gilroy is the place to be for Kids Discover Arts, a hands-on art activities event on the grassy Paseo south of Gilroy Public Library on Sixth Street. Great for kids 5 to 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., local art pros will conduct 18 different workshops. Don’t forget to wear paint-friendly clothing and plenty of sunscreen because the fun in the sun will get a little messy. Additional parking will be on the northwest corner of Seventh and Church streets. Since space is limited, no pets or strollers are allowed.

Without proper safety equipment for its entire student body, the Gilroy Unified School District will provide a live stream from NASA of the once-in-a-century solar eclipse Monday, while keeping students safely protected in their classrooms.

As Gilroy grows so does tourism to the Garlic Capital and when visitors arrive, they need someplace to stay. To accommodate that Ace Construction and Blue Diamond Hospitality are building a Hampton Inn at Travel Park Circle near the Garlic Farm Travel Center and Highway 101.

From potbellied pigs to parrots, from ferrets to felines, lots of pets seem to need rescuing these days—but one Gilroy group is rescuing a whole species of wildlife: steelhead trout.

If you’re planning to kick a few drinks back this weekend, you ought to keep the car at home. The Gilroy Police Department (GPD) will set up a DUI checkpoint in an undisclosed area for the weekend of August 18.According to a press release from the GPD, DUI checkpoints have been proven to reduce the number of fatalities. In 2015 and 2016, there were 18 total DUI injury accidents.“Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely,” the GPD press release said.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety administration, in 2015, 9,967 people were killed in impaired driving accidents. In 2012, 802 people were killed by impaired drivers in California.“Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and drug impairment with officers checking drivers for proper licensing delaying motorists only momentarily,” read the GPD release. “When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.”In case you were wondering, marijuana counts as a drug that impairs drivers. Statistics provided by GPD indicates that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their bodies at the time of the crash. A study of active drivers revealed that 14 percent of drivers who tested positive for drugs, compared to 7.3 who were impaired by alcohol. Of those, 7.4 percent tested positive for drug impairment tested positive for marijuana.“According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent,” the GPD press release said. “Nearly 90 percent of California drivers approve of DUI checkpoints.”The GPD chooses locations for the checkpoints based on statistics that indicate which sites netted the most DUI arrests. These sites of opportunity are also chosen with the safety of officers in mind.The consequences of a DUI conviction are steep. Fines exceeding $10,000, jail time, DUI classes and suspensions of driving privileges accompany a conviction. The GPD funds the checkpoints through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Members of the Gilroy Police Department are accused of hosting sex parties, exposing themselves at a Christmas party and having inappropriate relations with young Police Explorers in a suit filed by a police dispatcher who was fired in 2015.

June 19, 1929 - August 13, 2017