Community

The owner of a 23-acre property on Highway 101—where the Betabel Commercial Development proposal has been the subject of an environmental study and lawsuit—recently filed an application to change plans to allow hundreds of new homes.  Property owner McDowell Family Trust and architect Henry Ruhnke...

Mallett named to dean’s list Cade Mallett, of Gilroy, was named to the Emerson College dean’s list for the fall semester. Mallett majors in Business Creative Enterprises and is a member of the Emerson College Class of 2026.  Home + Garden Tour is May 9-10 The Gilroy...

One could not celebrate Women’s History Month without acknowledging the tremendous impact women have had on the local wine industry here in the Santa Clara Valley.  One of the most famous names in Silicon Valley lore, Paul Masson, might never have made a big splash...

Gilroy's city council released a statement Wednesday that it has launched into a 60-day exclusive negotiation with the national Great Wolf Lodges, a hotel and water park resort.

Staff and roughly 500 students of El Roble Elementary School honored Gilroy Police Department K-9 Pharaoh and his handler, Corporal Paco Rodriguez at a special all-school assembly Wednesday.

There’s nothing quite like a stage full of kids dressed as starfish, sea anemones and seagulls singing and dancing their little hearts out to lift one’s spirits these days. And the cast and crew of South Valley Civic Theatre do a charming job of it in their current children’s musical production of The Little Mermaid Jr. in Morgan Hill through Oct. 22.The story, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s Danish fairy tale and adapted into a Disney movie and then a musical, involves a young mermaid, Ariel (Emily Pember) who falls in love with a human prince (Gannon Janisch) and is tricked into giving up her lovely singing voice to an evil sea witch (Jenna Hernandez) in exchange for legs so she can walk on land. She is surrounded by a cast of hilarious characters including the woebegone crab Sebastian (Tegan Leong) charged by Ariel’s father (Paul Maack) with keeping her safe.As the little mermaid of the title, Pember does fine work singing while managing the tricky aspects of swimming gracefully through the air (with flight direction by Jason Chamberlain). Unfortunately, her voice is sometimes overwhelmed by the recorded soundtrack on “Part of Your World.”As Ursula, the sea witch—in a wonderful costume of purple velvet and satin with sequined octopus’s tentacles—Hernandez has no such problems. She’s got a big voice and knows how to use it to best effect on “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”Stealing the show every which way is the spark plug Tegan Leong as the crab Sebastian, who knocks everyone out with a fish ensemble in “Under the Sea” and really tears things up in the sassy calypso “Kiss the Girl,” well supported by an undersea cast of seemingly thousands.Among the numerous other characters, well directed by Colleen Blanchard, Catherine Drayton stands out as the lead seagull, Scuttle (in a terrific costume, designed by Alice Gracey). Set designers Blanchard, Larry Tom and Jason Leong have created a wondrous undersea world, all wavering watercolors studded with bubbles and seaweed.The Little Mermaid Jr. Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright. Directed by Colleen Blanchard at South Valley Civic Theatre, Morgan Hill. Final performance is Oct. 22. For tickets call (408) 842-SHOW or visit www.svct.org. 

Santa Clara County’s water storage reservoirs are at healthy levels due to the rainy winter, according to Valley Water.  The local water district’s 10 reservoirs are collectively about 130% of their normal water levels for this time of year, Valley Water spokesperson Matt Keller said...

Praise be to the gods of pizza and pasta, and wine. Fridays and Saturdays have already become legend at Little Uvas and DeRose Vineyards on Fitzgerald Avenue in San Martin, where the hospitality flows like wine, and the woodfired pizza oven turns out pies...

Regarding the nazi flag on Burnett overpass on Highway 101 in Morgan Hill: I’m writing to you because the group of people who have their rallies on Fridays on the Burnett Bridge overpass on 101 in Morgan Hill had a nazi flag hanging on...

A Gilroy shooting suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder by SWAT officers Thursday morning in connection with an incident three months ago in which police said he pulled out a firearm and fired several shots at another motorist following a minor traffic...