The following organizations and individuals deserve either
CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: For the ridiculous number of escapees from the William F.
James Boys Ranch in Morgan Hill. Juvenile criminals are fleeing the
unfenced facility left and right
– 13 escapees in six incidents since January.
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: For the ridiculous number of escapees from the William F. James Boys Ranch in Morgan Hill. Juvenile criminals are fleeing the unfenced facility left and right – 13 escapees in six incidents since January. Tuesday the county will consider spending $500,000 for GPS devices that will monitor the youths. A simple fence, the county said, would cost upwards of $5 million … but, ooops, there isn’t really an estimate – and a fence is against the state guidelines. If it’s against guidelines, get them changed. That’s what state Assemblymen are for. If we’re going to send serious offenders to facilities, we’d better be able to keep them inside the gates.
CHEERS: For the annual Rotary Club Flower Sale which is Saturday at Goldsmith’s Seeds, 2280 Hecker Pass Highway – beautiful flowers at good prices to support local charities. It starts at 8am. Get there early with cash or a check.
JEERS: For the absolutely flabbergasting numbers released by the city detailing the amount of money paid to fire department employees for overtime. The numbers are stunning. Clearly, something has gone amiss that needs to be corrected.
CHEERS: For Gilroy High’s student-athlete Alfonso Montagalvan, the CCS player of the year who is also the first GHS player to earn a Division I soccer scholarship. Featured in a story by Ana Patejdl published in Friday’s paper, Montagalvan is headed to the University of California at Santa Barbara. He’s the first person in his family to go to college and has a 3.9 grade point average at GHS. Now that’s a role model. We’re sure we will be hearing about his stellar performances at the Division I level. We wish him every success.
JEERS: For the interference with classroom instruction cause by the Day of Silence at Gilroy High School. Let’s be honest: Only a politically correct issue – however legitimate – would receive this kind of “kid glove” response. What if teachers refused to speak on Good Friday? How about Rosh Hashana? What about a national Right to Life Day? It’s a simple exercise to carry this logic to conclusion. By not demanding that the cause be separated from the classroom, someone must be in the position to determine which cause is worthy. Who gets to make that decision and why?
JEERS: For Gavilan softball coach Tim Kenworthy, who should have been forthcoming initially about the fact that he had filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights regarding unequal facilities for women at Gavilan College. The complaint may have merit, but the coach should have handled this in straightforward fashion.
