News

As Gilroy residents prepared for the winter holidays news of a fatal plane crash involving a local family sent shockwaves throughout the community.Gilroy residents Jason Thomas Price, his wife Olga Price and with their three children, Olivia, 9, Mary, 10, and John, 14, were killed when the small plane Jason Price was piloting crashed into an almond orchard outside Bakersfield on Dec. 19. News outlets initially covering the crash identified Jason Price as the pilot and his family as the passengers.At 4:26 p.m. that day, a Los Angeles air traffic control tower received a distress call from an aircraft, later identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Piper PA-32, single-engine, seven-passenger plane, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.The family had left the Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose and were on their way to Henderson, Nev., when the crash occurred. Emergency responders conducted a ground search and found airplane wreckage in the orchard near the intersection of Panama Lane and South Allen Road. Debris from the crash spanned a quarter-mile, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. At press time, the NTSB and FAA had not concluded their investigation into the cause of the crash.Jason Price was a principle reliability engineer at Genesis Solutions, a position he held for five months according to his LinkedIn profile. His company released the following statement: “On behalf of Genesis Solutions and its employees, we express our deepest sympathy and condolences for Jason Price and his family. Jason was an associate of our organization and a valued and loved team member, friend, and contributor to our customers and the maintenance and reliability professionals we serve. We are mourning this tragic loss.”As news of the tragedy spread through Gilroy, residents who knew the family shared their heartbreak.Olivia and Mary were students at Luigi Aprea Elementary School, which had just closed for the winter holidays on Dec. 18. Misty Blythe, a fellow parent whose children went to school with the girls had just seen them at school.“Friday was the last day of school for all the kids,” said Misty Blythe via Facebook. “We [were] all saying goodbye and happy holidays, and see you next year.”Blythe shared a friend with Olga and had been to few birthday parties with the friendly mom.“It’s such a sad thing. They will be very missed. Olga was a good friend, awesome mother and loving wife.”

Gilroy could offer incentives to attract new dealerships to its auto mall, boosting sales tax revenue lost from the pandemic-related economic downtown. The Gilroy City Council on Nov. 16 showed interest in discussing what those incentives might look like at a future meeting. The city relies...

Gilroy police, following up on evidence obtained during a domestic violence call earlier this month, arrested a man Friday on suspicion of selling methamphetamine. On April 16, officers responded to a residence on the 7100 block of Eigleberry Street regarding a suspected felony domestic violence...

Marie Blankley has taken a resounding lead in the Gilroy mayoral race with more than half of the votes counted. As of 10am Nov. 4, Blankley received 9,498 votes, or 68.52 percent of the total counted. Her opponent Reid Lerner garnered 4,363 votes. Gilroy’s next mayor...

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It all began in the summer of 2018: the First Street Project. The aggravation for businesses, commuters, neighborhoods, pedestrians and bicyclists continues, with no apparent end in sight. In response to repeated inquiries from the Gilroy Dispatch, Caltrans on Feb. 20 said the paving is now...

Gilroy Little League 10U All Star Manager Merritt Billington said winning wasn’t as simple as writing a lineup card and sending the players out onto the field, but it was close.  “I’ve got 13 kids with tons of talent, tons of ability, and it’s not...

Aaron Motilla is living the dreams. Yes, that’s a plural. Motilla, a native of Spain, moved to the United States four years ago, encouraged by the opportunities he saw after visiting his sister in San Jose. A lifelong student, now teacher, of Taekwondo, Motilla said...

Gilroy High School’s two swimming pools will be merging into a single large competition pool, as early as next year. The Gilroy Unified School District staff had outlined three renovation options for the aging high school swimming pool complex. The district’s Board of Trustees approved...

This year's Spice of Life award-winner for a large business has kept its motors running in Gilroy since 1981. South County Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram has donated to dozens of local charities over the years.