The following organizations and individuals deserve either
CHEERS or JEERS this week:
CHEERS: For Vanessa Gutierrez, the Gilroy High junior varsity
wrestler who didn’t let peer pressure stand in the way of her
passion for the sport.
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
CHEERS: For Vanessa Gutierrez, the Gilroy High junior varsity wrestler who didn’t let peer pressure stand in the way of her passion for the sport. Gutierrez outlasted all the other girls who tried wrestling in junior high and is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation by the United States Girls Wrestling Association. Who knows, maybe we’ll see her on the cover of Sports Illustrated some day.
JEERS: For the shocking arrest of a 22-year veteran San Jose police officer who is charged with molesting a 1-year-old Morgan Hill girl. Obviously, police would not make this arrest without convincing evidence. It’s a sad tale that falls into the unbelievable category and adds to the general sense of “you can’t trust anyone.”
CHEERS: For Molly Hale who, after a horrendous car accident that left her hanging in the car upside down, didn’t listen to the doctors who told her she would never walk again. The miracle story, featured in our lifestyles section Thursday, is also the subject of a documentary film which will be shown at the Gilroy Presbyterian Church on Feb. 13 at 3pm. The film honestly depicts her trials, and walks the viewer through her struggle to live an active life as she had before and to achieve a goal to walk again.
JEERS: For the Community Solutions employees who threatened a strike. We’re glad a tentative agreement has been reached, but the Service Employees International Union workers who expected to have a full medical benefit family package without a co-pay are demanding what a human services agency should not be providing in this time of severe government budget cuts. The tentative agreement leaves that fully paid medical benefit in place for employees who choose the Kaiser health plan. That’s more than generous and, frankly, we question the Board of Directors of Community Solutions for leaving that on the negotiating table. At some point, the bottom-line question has to be raised: For whom does Community Solutions exist, the people in need of services or the employees? We know what the taxpayers who fund the organization would say.
JEERS: For the vandals who scribble and scratch on the windows of businesses and schools. It’s ugly, it’s costly, and it’s a crime that should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law – which includes full restitution. Could the Gilroy Police Department – perhaps in concert with the Chamber of Commerce – purchase a mobile video surveillance camera system that could be used at businesses which are frequent targets of vandals? If a few are caught on tape and arrested, the word would get out on the street quickly that this crime doesn’t pay.
CHEERS: For the news that the first trails at the county’s Bear Ranch Park, purchased seven years ago, will soon be open to the public. May trail openings should be perfect for mountain bike enthusiasts, horse riders and hikers to explore some new territory. Spring wildflowers should be in full bloom, and the green hills will beckon people to 14 miles of trails on the property near Coyote Lake Reservoir.
CHEERS: For the Gilroy boys soccer team which picked themselves up with a key 1-0 league victory over Live Oak Thursday. The defending league champion and CCS playoff finalists have been floundering lately. Following last year’s incredible season, the Mustangs had not been living up to expectations. But the squad might have turned the corner with a spirited team effort against arch-rival Live Oak.
