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Live Oak High School graduate Joshua Toch—who will attend UC Berkeley in the fall—was named one of only 10 nationwide recipients of the prestigious 2014 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards for his participation in a student-run, anti-bullying initiative.

Summer has officially begun and with it comes the abundance South Valley has to offer. These products greatly influence the way my summer cooking takes shape and inspire me to use them in new and different ways. This week, I put a new spin on a summer party staple: chips and salsa.

Since New Year's Day, we have been preparing for the hike—no, climb—up Mt. Tallac. At 9,783 feet, Mt. Tallac is the highest peak on the Lake Tahoe rim. We call it the Mt. Tallac Challenge for good reason. As I learned when I recently revisited the mountain, after you climb it, you will no longer be a hiker, you will be a mountaineer.

What would you say if someone told you that for approximately 90 minutes you would be in charge of—no, the driving force behind—approximately 100 children, all kindergarten through sixth-grade age?

Gilroy and Morgan Hill Cherry farmer Ralph Santos said this year he got half of the average total harvest, which workers picked twice as fast, and slim pickings for you-pick cherry farmer Kathy Kraintz prompted the closure of her small-scale Silicon Valley agritourism attraction Lazy K Ranch to the public.

The Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church has been an important part of the community for more than a century. Founded in 1897, the congregation has worshiped in a series of buildings until settling at its current campus at 16970 De Witt Ave. in 1968.

Red-winged blackbirds in an oak forest? Gray foxes lounging on a backyard deck? Duck families bobbing in your swimming pool? An influx of seemingly abandoned fawns near homes and businesses?

Gilroy artist Marianne Eichenbaum grew up in Ansbach, a Bavarian town in Germany, where she watched the hands of her father create his own art—in cakes. As a young girl, she would spend hours watching his hands sift, stir and mold common kitchen ingredients—flour, butter, sugar—into delightful and delicious bakery treats.

‘In The Heights” was nominated for 13 Tonys in 2008 and won four: best musical, best original score, best choreography and best orchestrations. It was also voted a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for drama. With all these pluses, this show comes with high recommendations.