39.4 F
Gilroy
January 16, 2026

For the bell tolls….

The "Battle for the Bell" concluded Friday with CHS's victory over GHS.  A highlight video is  available at the link below:

Muffu-what? This Sandwich is Serious Business

Have you ever made a muffuletta? Do you know what a muffuletta is?

Vision loss common among the elderly

I went to church Sunday and something interesting happened that

Gilroy Presbyterian fundraiser helps support World Vision organization

Although we live in a naturally arid climate, generations of Californians have taken a reliable supply of water for granted. Numerous golf courses and expansive residential lawns are testament to this belief. But the past four years of drought are changing perceptions, and Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent edict to cut our water use by 25 percent has awakened many to the seriousness of the situation. Of course, people in many other countries experience much worse water problems than ours. Because of this, the United Nations observes World Water Day every year in March to bring awareness of the need for clean water in the world’s most impoverished countries.  On March 22, a group of 33 children and adults held a fundraiser for the Christian charitable organization World Vision. Sponsored by the youth ministry of Gilroy Presbyterian Church, participants walked from the church on Miller Avenue through downtown Gilroy to In-n-Out Burger wearing special T-shirts and bibs with pictures of African children. According to Youth Director Josh Ferreira, the distance of about four miles is “typical of the journey residents of many African countries must travel to gather water in buckets to carry back to their homes. Much of this water is polluted or contains parasites that can blind or kill those who drink it.” Participants raised over $2,000 in pledges and other donations, money which will go to a village in the East African nation of Kenya. Residents of Bandaptai will benefit for at least 20 years from the clean water provided by this well. Since 1993, World Water Day has been celebrated on March 22. It is a day to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water-related issues. This year’s theme explained how water links to all areas of life.  Water is Health: 748 million people do not have access to an improved source of drinking water, and 2.5 billion have no sanitation facilities. Water is Nature: There is too much ecosystem degradation. Pollution from untreated waste and agriculture run-off make unhealthy water, especially in underdeveloped countries. Water is Industry: More water is used to manufacture a car than to fill a swimming pool. Water is Energy: Today over 80 percent of electrical generation is accomplished by thermal power plants where water is heated to create steam to drive generators; additional billions of gallons of water are needed to provide cooling.  Water is Food: It takes nearly 4,000 gallons of water to produce two steaks.  Globally, agriculture is the largest user of water, accounting for 70 percent of the total (approximately the same share here in California). Inefficient use of water for crop production depletes aquifers, reduces river flows, degrades wildlife habitats, and causes salinization of irrigated land areas.     The United Nations has already chosen the following themes for the next three World Water Days: Water and Jobs­—2016; Wastewater—2017; Nature-based Solutions—2018. To see a photo of the walkers who participated in the fundraiser, go to www.morganhilltimes.com. Chuck Flagg is a retired teacher with a passion for religion. Email him at [email protected].

A tale of three unfortunate opossums

To paraphrase Hamlet, the young opossum literally suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous (mis)fortune. It was walking along the top of a fence just minding its own business, perhaps looking for an evening meal of fallen fruit or crunchy snails, when a person deliberately shot it down with an arrow. A neighbor saw the poor creature desperately struggling and notified the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center. Staff at WERC found the arrow had pierced the top of the front leg and through the chest, narrowly missing vital organs, but leaving him extremely weak and causing severe nerve damage in the leg. X-rays showed the humerus bone was shattered. It was with very sad hearts that this little opossum was euthanized.

Giants’ Tejada wheezing toward the finish of his career

His legs are heavy, his bat slow, and the sunlight has left his

An open letter to president of the SEIU-UHW

Dear Mr. Regan, My name is Donna Fischer and I'm a nurse at Saint Louise Regional Hospital. I am not a member of your union and I have never met you personally, but for the past two months you've been trying to get my attention about the sale of our Daughters of Charity hospital to Prime Healthcare.

Merit Pay Deserves Our Attention This Election Season

Merit's stock is the rise. Merit is an important topic in the

Personal reflections of sixth grade camp

I don't know who thought of sixth grade camp, but I have to say

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