Community

It was already a long week. Working a 96-hour shift as a firefighter in extreme heat, away from home, away from family, can be draining. But when the bell rings, tired or not, members of the Gilroy Fire Department are on the job.

One hundred firefighters from Gilroy Fire Department, Cal Fire and other departments in the county are fighting a five-acre fire burning thick brush on top of the ridge. The GFD has reported no injuries or structures in danger at the moment. An investigation into how the fire started has not yet begun.  As of last night, 22 fire engines were employed to fight the blaze.

So hot that Fifth Street Coffee is closed...no ice coffees available.

Total employees, 678 – most part-time, seasonal

The owner of Union Taxi Company of Gilroy says ride-sharing companies like Lyft and Uber have been killing his business. Pedro Virgen, 50, who has owned the company since 2006, has seen his business shrink from eight taxis and a dozen employees to three cabs and two drivers.

True or false: The City of Gilroy owns a tourist attraction business called Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park. That’s false.

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.

Police know about protecting and serving, but for the past two weeks, they have added a new duty— shopping.

FREE ART CLASSES In 1989, much of the arts had been removed from the elementary school classrooms, and after visiting the very successful “Hands on the Arts” event in Sunnyvale, Gilroy Recreation staff held a “roundtable” meeting with the hope of creating a similar event. It worked and has bloomed over the years.

There’s a new buzz and excitement going around downtown Gilroy these days. Several new businesses have either recently opened or will open in the very near future alongside businesses who are expanding their offerings.