Community

Caley Camarillo battled cystic fibrosis for nearly 12 years before she passed away June 13 and “earned her wings,” according to family members. Though managing the fatal disease accounted for a majority of her daily routine, she didn’t let it define her and she refused to let her illness crush her positivity—or hamper her smile.

The Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office has seen a dramatic increase in the number of residents requesting passports. For the first six month of this year, the County Clerk-Recorder has received 8,284 passport applications, an average of 69 per day, compared to 10,386 applications for the entire year in 2013, or 40 per day. The previous year the daily average was 30 applications.

When local farmers needed a unified voice in a political forum to fight for their way of life, for the last four years or so they have turned to the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau and, specifically, its Executive Director Jennifer Scheer.

IFC-Self Made moved to 7-1 atop the Co-Rec B Softball League standings Monday at Las Animas Veterans Park by recording two wins.

The “flame of hope” will relay through Gilroy and Morgan Hill on June 18 as part of the Northern California Law Enforcement Torch Run.

On June 13, volunteers are gathering to plant baskets and wine barrels along Monterey Street in the downtown corridor as part of ongoing beautification efforts.

Selecting students for the Gilroy Dispatch’s annual senior spotlight honor is no enviable task. That’s why we make the principals do it (and they resent us for making them narrow it down!). These students have navigated the labyrinth of high school hurdles, and we are inspired by their optimistic outlook, refreshing attitudes and heartfelt honesty. We celebrate them, their families, their mentors and all the graduating seniors in the class of 2014.

Gilroy High School’s Bryanna Chavez and Victor Olmos, Christopher High School’s Luis Gonzalez and Gilroy Early Childhood Academy’s Alondra Navarro were awarded $50,000 apiece as recipients of the Julio Mata Family Scholarships, which were among the $355,500 in scholarships issued through the local philanthropic Gilroy Foundation.

The vision of local students’ “dream playground” in San Martin is now a reality.

The Historic Miller Red Barn at Christmas Hill Park is at risk of being demolished and replaced by soccer fields. Some people might like that. But then the space would serve only the soccer playing public. How much better would it be to leave the barn to serve all of the City's residents?