News

 "FRAUDSTER" LABEL UNFAIRA few weeks ago you ran a headline and article calling people who want their children to go to Christopher High School “fraudsters”.  I think that is unfair.A very rich local man has built a palace of a school with every amenity that could be thought of including “legacy seating.”  This is wonderful for the rich kids who get to go there, but for the rest of Gilroy it’s not so great.  I know this man also donated some money to Gilroy High School, but there are a lot of us Gilroy citizens who do not think that the donation was equitable to what Christopher High School has become. The City Council should have made sure that both high schools had similar attributes and were on a par.  I have talked to quite a few people about this and so far everyone agrees with me.  Who can blame people for wanting their kids to have the best? Marjorie ApelGilroy“IRRESPONSIBLE”I am a labor and delivery nurse at St. Louise Hospital. I was also co-owner and founder of The Loft Family Enrichment Center in Morgan Hill. I am writing this letter in response to the recent announcement of the closing of the labor and delivery unit. The hospital claims it plans to provide some training to its ER staff to handle pregnant patients who come to the ER for treatment. Years of maternal health specialty training is needed to know how to identify emergent situations correctly. How can you recognize something if you don’t know what it looks like?I’m not afraid for the mothers who come to the ER and deliver normally as birth is a natural process and nature knows what to do without assistance over 90 percent of the time. But what about the rare obstetrical emergency that may have subtle outward signs that only maternal health trained professionals would recognize and which requires immediate recognition and an immediate life-saving mad dash to the OR to save the life of either baby or mother or both.Not one single life lost is worth this incredibly irresponsible decision made by a charity hospital which runs the ONLY labor and delivery unit in an area with a population of 100,000 people!Christine Newberg AromasIGNORE VOTERS?Why did the General Plan Advisory members largely ignore the results of the highly participated Community Workshop held at Eliot School in February?  The plan a large majority favored, to preserve agriculture and open space around our City Limits, would have been more economical to implement and provided the benefits of less air pollution and water conservation.All three alternatives presented by the consultant to the GPAC would provide enough room for population and job growth, but Alternative 3 for compact growth was clearly superior in several ways.  I refer readers to the gilroy20/40.com website  to look at the summary from Workshop #4.  See what YOU think, then attend the special Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, April 30th to let the commissioners know.  If enough people speak up, the Planning Commission will feel supported in making its own recommendations to the city council.Connie RogersFormer Gilroy City Council memberIT’S NOT POLITICSMayor Don Gage said they are outraged about the $483 million deal with the Prime (Healthcare) company. First of all, attorney general Kamala Harris is not playing politics! The only one talking politics is Mayor Gage. This deal has nothing to do with Harris running for higher office, nothing, period. Second, the mayor and the city council are out of touch, they don’t know the difference between a non-profit hospital and a for-profit hospital! All I can figure is they don’t care about ripping off the pubic, including poor people, veterans and the handicapped. For-profit means for-profit. Third, I don’t trust the mayor or city council. They have tried to rip us off before. Remember the elections! I would love to see another non-profit hospital here in Gilroy, but to use politics and the future of our families as a talking point is ludicrous and petty! Three hundred conditions, really Mayor Gage? Is that a fact or is this Prime talking? Let the public see the Prime contract, if this mayor and city council are open and very transparent, then let’s see the facts. Come on guys, show us why you’re so outraged—if not, why should we trust you?Daniel GarciaGilroy

GILROY—Christine Newberg has helped deliver hundreds of babies at Gilroy’s Saint Louise Regional Hospital and believes the Daughters of Charity Health System’s decision to close that obstetric unit puts lives at risk and is “incredibly irresponsible.”

GILROY—A determined pair of septuagenarians have claimed victory in a senior vs. senior battle over how old residents must be to live in a gated Gilroy community for older folks.

GILROY—The second-annual South County Legislative Summit was a who’s-who of elected officials that included U.S. Congress representatives and South County mayors pro tem.

What inspires you? My family and friends inspire me.

Each week we recognize one area male and female athlete for their performance on the field of play. This week's are: 

GILROY—Gilroy’s Tim Van Horn had two goals for his senior year: break the high jump record and earn a scholarship. On April 15, he checked off both.

GILROY—Gavilan sophomores like Bryant Cid had some unfinished business from their freshmen year. Having started the season off strong, the Rams tapered off towards the end of that season and missed their shot at the playoffs.

Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero and his wife Casey led the "Be The Match" bone marrow registration April 14 at Arkansas Tech University. They, along with ATU facility and students, broke the record and entered the Guinness Book of World Records for registries in a 60-minute time frame as 250 registered for "Be The Match." The event totaled 1,696 registries.