News

A higher percentage of students in the Morgan Hill and Gilroy Unified School Districts are proficient or advanced in the 2013 California Standards Tests – a major component of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) assessment – than the state as a whole.

Theft

The new mission statement adoped Wednesday night by the Santa Clara County Board of Education states, “The Santa Clara County Office of Education is committed to serving, inspiring and promoting student and public school success,” according to a press release from the SCCOE.

Last December in my “Getting Out” column in the sports section, I challenged my readers: On July 13, come with me on a long and difficult hike to the top of 9,931-foot Clouds Rest, a massive peak that rises 1,100 feet above Half Dome - Yosemite Valley's iconic landmark. During the intervening six months, we will take a series of hikes to prepare for the big day. Who among you has the stuff to take on the Clouds Rest Challenge?

Dear Red Phone,

Dear Red Phone,

Average home sale prices are "showing no signs of a mid-summer slowdown" in Santa Clara County and continued to rise in July, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors.

Authorities are looking for three men who led police on a chase that reached 120 mph on the U.S. 101 after allegedly attempting to burglarize a Morgan Hill home. Morgan Hill police responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a home on the 2000 block of Pinto Court Wednesday night, according to a press release from MHPD. Three Hispanic men were seen jumping a fence surrounding the backyard of a home on the court, and breaking a window out of that home to make entry, police said. A resident was at home upstairs during the break-in. The suspects fled before stealing any property, police said. Police saw the suspects fleeing the scene and chased after them, the press release said. The suspects, traveling in a 1999 Audi Station Wagon, were pursued northbound on U.S. 101, at speeds up to 120 mph. Police called off the pursuit due to public safety concerns when the vehicle and patrol cars reached heavy traffic, police said. The suspects continued to drive recklessly on the shoulder of the freeway at high speeds, evading officers, according to police. The suspicious vehicle was registered out of Oakland, and the registered owner of the vehicle told police he sold the car several months ago, police said. Police are now seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect vehicle, which has a license plate of 4GTT297, authorities said. The vehicle has damage to the right quarter panel and does not have tinted windows. Police also reported Thursday they have responded to a series of recent residential burglaries that happened in quick succession. Four of these burglaries happened during daylight hours Wednesday, and officers think the suspects involved are from different areas from Morgan Hill to Oakland and Sacramento. Detectives have also noticed a pattern in the daytime burglaries, in which the suspects are ringing the doorbell or knocking on doors before forcing entry into the home, police said. “Police encourage people who are not expecting guests to call police if they suspect foul play, and make noise to ward off burglars,” the press release said. “Also, be vigilant and keep reporting suspicious persons, cars and activity.” Anyone with information about these crimes can contact Morgan Hill police at (408) 779-2101, or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867. 

Police arrested a San Jose man Tuesday after he used one of 30 fake credit cards in his possession at a Morgan Hill grocery store, authorities said. A loss prevention officer at Safeway grocery store on Tennant Avenue notified Morgan Hill police about the man after he used one of the fraudulent credit cards to purchase items at the store, according to a press release from MHPD. The man, later identified as Keith Brown, 22 of San Jose, was sitting in his car outside Safeway when officers contacted him, police said. He also had a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of DUI, out of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. Police were assisted by Safeway, Star One Credit Union of San Jose and Travis Credit Union of Vacaville to determine that Brown had been using more than 30 stolen credit card account numbers to purchase thousands of dollars worth of gift cards at Safeway stores throughout the Bay Area, police said. The County’s Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team, a high-tech fraud task force, assisted Morgan Hill detectives with the investigation, according to the press release. Agents think Brown was manufacturing fake credit cards from his home. Brown was arrested on suspicion of identity theft, burglary and use of a fraudulent credit card, police said. Police remind residents to periodically check their bank accounts and immediately report any fraudulent activity to the authorities. Anyone with information about these crimes can contact Morgan Hill Police at (408) 779-2101.