Community

A devoted hunter, fisherman, pilot and owner of the former

For the first time, the Morgan Hill Police Department may soon have a program in place to process and issue permits for local residents to carry concealed firearms.  MHPD officers and city staff have been working on the local CCW licensing program after a 2022...

Authorities are investigating a swastika flag that was displayed on the Burnett Avenue Highway 101 overpass in Morgan Hill during rush-hour traffic the afternoon of March 21. About 3:23pm, deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office responded to the overpass on a report of...

Gilroy resident and former longtime prosecutor Stephen Lowney was recently sworn in as one of Santa Clara County Superior Court’s newly appointed judges.  An Aug. 18 oath of office ceremony “symbolically recognizes Judge Lowney’s long-standing dedication to the field of law and his exceptional legal...

More than 20 residents displaced by the July 25 fire that rapidly spread through a San Martin neighborhood have a variety of local resources from which to obtain long-term and immediate assistance until they are able to start rebuilding or find new permanent homes.Members of several families whose homes burned in the blaze, which started as a vegetation fire, attended a July 26 community meeting at the San Martin Lions Club to gain more information about such resources. The leaders of Santa Clara County organizations in attendance—including CalFire, Social Services Agency, Office of Emergency Services and American Red Cross—urged the impacted residents in attendance to spread information about available help to their neighbors through word of mouth.In the immediate aftermath of the fire—which destroyed a residential duplex, a mobile home, 16 vehicles and three barns—displaced residents are eligible for pre-loaded $100 gift or debit cards to purchase essential items. These cards are funded and provided by the American Red Cross and the California Fire Foundation.Two other homes were damaged, but not fully destroyed by the fire, CalFire Santa Clara Unit Fire Chief Derek Witmer said at the July 26 meeting. A total of 21 residents were displaced from the damaged and destroyed homes.Longer-term assistance is available from local nonprofits the Gilroy Compassion Center and St. Joseph’s Family Center, as well as the Red Cross. Displaced fire victims who are citizens of Mexico can contact the Mexican Consulate’s office in San Jose.Insured renters and property owners can obtain CalFire’s “fire report” to provide to their insurance companies starting about 10 days after the incident, Witmer said.The July 25 fire began about 4:15pm in the area of the 12100 block of Church Avenue in south San Martin. Due to the dry conditions, and sustained winds of 20mph, fire officials said the blaze quickly spread through about 20 acres of vegetation and onto a ranch on Lena Avenue. While numerous horses, goats, pets and livestock were saved from the fire, at least one goat died in the flames, Witmer said.Other displaced residents said they have been unable to locate some of their animals since the fire was extinguished.A firefighter at the scene suffered heat exhaustion, Witmer said. No other injuries were reported.Mirna Arriaga, a resident of Lena Avenue whose home was one of those damaged by the blaze, said when the fire started it looked like a “brush fire.” She called 911, then went back inside her home to watch television.Just a couple minutes later, Arriaga received a phone call saying her neighbor’s house was on fire.“We went back out and couldn’t see three feet in front of us,” due to the smoke, she said. Arriaga and her family had to jump in their car and retreat; they didn’t have time to gather any clothing or other possessions from inside the home.  Arriaga lived in the home with her husband, Jose Orozco, and their four children, who range in age from 6 to 22. Arriaga’s father, Raul Arriaga, owns and lives on the property as well.Orozco said while the home was not completely demolished by the fire, it is “not repairable.” Arriaga said she entered the heavily smoke-damaged residence the next day, but the odor makes her nauseous. The family spent the night July 25 in their RV, parked in a nearby commercial parking lot. Cause still undeterminedAuthorities have not yet determined the cause of the July 25 fire, Witmer said. He noted the windy conditions were the key factor in the blaze’s quick spread. The first CalFire units on the scene ordered five engines “right off the bat.” A CalFire helicopter—which doused the blaze with water pulled from a nearby reservoir—and airplane appeared within minutes.Several bulldozers also responded, Witmer said. Units from Gilroy and San Jose fire departments assisted.A resident at the July 26 meeting asked Witmer if a locked fence surrounding a property owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District impeded firefighters’ response when they arrived to the emergency. Witmer said fire crews carry enough tools to break down or cut through almost any kind of barrier.With the water district property, which is adjacent to the Lena Avenue ranch to the north, Witmer said it took firefighters about one minute to use tools to cut through the locked fence and proceed along the service road. He said a delay of that length wasn’t enough to make a significant difference in the amount of property damage.Chaotic, windy sceneThe rapidly spreading fire created a chaotic scene for those who lived in the area of the blaze the afternoon of July 25.Mike Sibley, 71, who rents a trailer on the Lena Avenue property, said he received a call from the owner of the house warning him of the fire. Sibley rushed back from a bar in Morgan Hill, where he had been hanging out with friends. He said he at times drove on the wrong side of the road to get to the fire several miles south.Sibley said he arrived in time to rush into the mobile home he has been renting for about eight years and save his 20-year-old dog, Oddie, and some valuables.He left his vehicle in front and headed to the scene of chaos."There was three or four cars on fire and I probably would have lost mine if I went back there," Sibley said.He also managed to lead out a kid goat."There were about 30 goats in there and that was the only one who wanted to follow me out," he said. "The firefighters out here are doing an amazing job."Sibley did however lose several personal items when another of the buildings on the property burned.About 7pm, Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies cleared onlooking pedestrians away from in front of the house on Lena Avenue and moved them back to Manna Way after an electric pole caught on fire and threatened their safety.A gray pit bull was picked up by animal control in the area, firefighters said.The fire was mostly contained before dusk July 25, but crews remained in the area through the following evening to mop up and keep an eye on any potential hotspots.

Downtown Morgan Hill’s Sidewalk Saturday—a weekly outdoor market featuring local makers and retail vendors—returns to East Third Street April 1 for the spring season.  The weekly market is open to the public 9am-1pm every Saturday through June 24 (except for May 27). Founded in 2020,...

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department recently released new data showing a 19% increase in new tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses in the county in 2023, compared to the previous year.  This follows a 6% increase in new TB diagnoses in the county for 2022,...

A man was shot and killed on Tennant Avenue the morning of Nov. 20, and police have arrested a suspect who is in custody, according to Morgan Hill Police. The Morgan Hill Police Department responded to a report of a shooting about 7:11am Nov. 20...

Standing at the open door and getting ready to jump out of an airplane at 13,000 feet above the ground, San Jose Skydiving Center owner Andrew Simmons can feel the body of his tandem jumper tense up.Simmons, a 35-year-old skydiver with more than 5,000 jumps over eight years on his resume, loves to share his extreme-sport passion with just about anybody willing to take the leap of faith with him or one of his employees.“It’s loud. The wind is hitting you. You can’t communicate with your instructor,” said Simmons of the first few seconds after jumping out of the aircraft. “I can feel the tension in people’s bodies when I push them out of the plane. It’s a rigid 5-10 seconds and then you can feel them take their first breath and feel them relax into it.”Then, the parachute opens up and together the skydivers “cruise like a bird” soaring through the sky and enjoy their serene surroundings with views to Santa Cruz, Monterey and Moss Landing to the North Bay and even the Sierra Nevada Mountains on a clear day.“It’s pretty intense. Words just don’t do it justice. It’s like describing a sunset; until you see it you don’t really know,” said the well-traveled Wichita, Kansas native who skydived around the globe before settling into his new business out of South County Airport in San Martin nine months ago.On his best day, Simmons participates and leads 56 expert sport jumps and 20 tandem jumps, totaling 96 bodies falling out of the sky, he said. The adventurer and entrepreneur has two airplanes, six full-time employees and five part-time workers that offer up the thrill of a lifetime seven days a week at up to 13,000 feet.“It’s great. I jump out of an airplane to put bread on the table,” Simmons said. “It’s a labor of passion. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. It’s the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever done.”For Simmons, it started like any other 20-something year old thrill seeker who got the bug to jump out of a plane.“Within six months of my first skydive, I sold my house and all my cars and set out to the West Coast in 2009,” said Simmons, who completed 46 jumps in Kansas. “I packed everything in the back of my Nissan pickup, including my motorcycle and a tent.”Simmons spent three months in Arizona, but “couldn’t take the heat,” before venturing to Southern California, where he worked and built up his experience for three years in Lake Elsinore. He earned his Accelerated Freefall (AFF) rating, giving him a license to teach skydiving, and also got his tandem instructor rating that “allows you to attach people to you and skydive,” Simmons explained. Instructors must have a minimum of three years in the sport with 500 skydives before being able to get certified.After learning the ropes of the skydiving business working at a seasonal operation in New York, Simmons got the idea that maybe he could start his own operation. He first spent six months backpacking in Southeast Asia and then another year in Hawaii before returning to Southern California. Simmons, who had visited the Bay Area in his many travels, then started to research locations where he could start his new business.“I wanted to come to a place that was willing to work with me. (South County Airport) has a basic idea of how they wanted the skydiving operation to work. They even had a skydiving application online,” said Simmons on how he landed in San Martin. He submitted business proposals to about six other airports.“They all said, ‘Nope, we don’t want skydiving here.’ But Santa Clara said how can we make this work together,” Simmons continued. “They were more welcoming than other places.”Simmons explained that Santa Clara County had one of the strictest—and most expensive—insurance policy requirements he had come across, but it was worth it.“I was worried that the aviation community wasn’t gonna like skydiving here, but that wasn’t the case at all,” Simmons said. “The aviation community received us surprisingly well.”Director of County Airports Eric Peterson echoed Simmons’ sentiments of having a “positive relationship” with one of San Martin’s newest aeronautical business owners.“There are a couple of little things that we’ve chatted about and he’s always receptive if there’s some minor change for efficiency or safety,” said Peterson, who has seen airport activity increase with the welcoming of skydiving as well as the Gavilan College aviation program on the grounds.Now off and running since Feb. 9, customers can book reservations online at sanjoseskydivingcenter.com. No experience is necessary—just an appointment. Upon arrival, customers fill out paperwork, watch an instructional video, meet with their instructor, put gear on, more brief instruction and “your instructor takes care of everything,” Simmons said. At San Jose Skydiving Center, all instructors have at least 2,000 jumps with the most seasoned at 11,000.“You spend about 15 minutes with your instructor and then hop in the airplane and climb up,” Simmons explained.It takes about 20 minutes to get up to 13,000 feet. After jumping out, there is about a one minute free fall, the parachute opens up and then it’s a four to seven minute descent to the landing zone at South County Airport.“The instructor takes care of the landing,” Simmons said. “You land on the ground and become the world’s newest skydiver.”

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