Business

Allstate agency owner Arline Silva received the Agency Hands in the Community Award for Silva’s commitment to helping others. With this award came a $1,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation for Advent Group Ministries Inc., where Silva volunteers.

Matthew Carvalho, of Gilroy, is a first-time, self-published author and “Old Hope Road” is his first novel. “Old Hope Road” follows the life of Dominic Mercy, an orphan who makes his home on a fictional Caribbean island. Mercy is Defense Attaché to the island's president. Following a political conspiracy, an unknown group attacks the presidential palace. As the conspiracy unfolds, Mercy's childhood and rise to the highest office is revealed through a series of flashback vignettes. This sparks a desire to find his 'kin'. Author Carvalho, who works as a manager for a Silicon Valley medical equipment manufacturer, has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in diplomacy/global commerce. “Old Hope Road” is available in both paperback and Kindle formats through Amazon. The author welcomes fans to follow “Old Hope Road” on Facebook.