The following individuals and organizations deserve either
CHEERS or JEERS this week:
The following individuals and organizations deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
CHEERS: For the Fourth of July. We’ve got options – the motorcycle rally in Hollister (we’ll be seeing plenty of Harleys belch through town this weekend), the parade in Morgan Hill and, of course, the ever-popular fireworks show at Gilroy High School. We also still have the option of buying a few fireworks, supporting a local organization in the process and setting them off, carefully of course, with our family and friends. Let’s keep that tradition alive and make sure a few hooligans with illegal fireworks don’t spoil it for the rest of us. Call 846-0350 if you witness someone setting off dangerous and illegal fireworks like bottle rockets. Also, a suggestion for the city: What if there were a few official volunteers to pass the hat at the fireworks show to defray the costs? The show might be able to get better and better each year. (For a list of Fourth of July events, please see the box on page A9).
CHEERS: For the pronounced reduction in discipline problems at Gilroy High School. The tone-setting trend is a significant positive directional step. Tardies, for example, decreased 46.7 percent the past school year. A combination of a core philosophy that discipline depends on consequences and enforcement has turned the tide. Add to that Assistant Principal Mani Corzo’s strict enforcement of the dress code and you have a basis for continued improvement. Principal Bob Bravo and the staff have met this problem head on and made measurable headway.
CHEERS: For retired Judge Joseph Biafore who, by all accounts, embodied the best of juris prudence by combining a sharp mind with a strong work ethic and a willfull commitment to fairness. “He is one of the all-time greatest judges that Santa Clara County ever had,” said Bob Allard, president of the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association. That’s high praise for the Gilroyan who spent nearly 30 years on the bench. Biafore’s been a credit to justice and a credit to our community.
JEERS: For the illegal miniature motorcycles being ridden by children, which are popping up all over town on road shoulders, open fields and park areas. The bikes aren’t street legal for obvious reasons – size and power. Gilroy Police aren’t issuing monetary fines for illegal use yet, but if the trend continues that policy should be reversed before a tragic accident happens. The mini-cycles have no business on our streets.
CHEERS: For the new Wild Wings show at Bonfante Gardens Theme Park. The audiences are really enjoying the unique presentation that features a huge condor that flies above the audience. It’s a unique blend of education and entertainment that’s a perfect fit with the Bonfante mission.
CHEERS: For the new Morgan Hill Aquatics Center, which is busting attendance projections. Almost 1,000 people are passing through the gates daily – 400 more than expected – ready to hop in and slide down and splash around. The rousing success has caused a few problems – like parking – but it’s obviously a welcome public works addition to the South Valley.
