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The 33rd running of the American Association of University Women’s Wildflower Run brought out more than 1,000 competitors who hailed from South County to the far reaches of the globe.

Writing a book is a major accomplishment. But if you are 23 years old, have an identical twin, have written the book together and have published your first in a series of young adult novels, that is astounding.Brittany and Nicole Pettibone spent their early years in Kansas, before moving to Morgan Hill over a decade ago. They are known in the literary world as T.S. Pettibone, a pen name created by using the first letters of their parents’ names, Theodore and Sabrina.The twins attended freshman year at Thomas More High School in San Jose. The following year Nicole traveled to New York, where she attended a boarding school, while Brittany remained at home.It was an experiment of sorts as the twins wanted to experience life apart.“We realized that we’re better together,” Brittany said.“We feel we complement each other, although we’re very different,” Nicole added.Three years ago the Pettibone family, with 10 kids, moved to Gilroy, and in January the twins completed their first book, Hatred Day, in the young adult (YA) fantasy/sci-fi genre.The Gilroy community can meet these local celebrities on Saturday, April 2 at 3 p.m., when the Pettibone twins appear at Gilroy Library to read from Hatred Day.The library visit is something the twins look forward to; they see it as an opportunity to meet avid readers of YA fiction.As it happens, Brittany and Nicole are not only identical twins; they are mirror image twins.Many of their physical traits are exact opposites of each other, such as Brittany being left-handed, and Nicole being right-handed. The same can be said for their personalities.“I was more outgoing when we were younger, and Nicole was more withdrawn—not really shy, just withdrawn—and her focus was on writing,” Brittany said.“For example in writing, [Nicole] has strengths where my weaknesses are, and my strengths are where her weaknesses are,” Brittany said, adding, “I can see things more broadly, like plotwise, and she’s better at the details and dialogue. It really works.”The girls don’t consider their relationship any different from other sibling relationships, although they’ve been told otherwise.“People have commented that they find us as unapproachable because we have that twin bond, and we’re always talking,” Nicole said.The twins admit they’ve had fun with the fact that they are identical. When they were in second grade, Brittany, the eldest by 15 minutes, proposed the idea of switching identities, they wanted to see if their teachers would notice.The ruse worked, and for three days the twins pulled it off.Throughout their grade school days Brittany spent most of her time with friends and playing sports, while Nicole created her own world through her art and her writing.“The things I imagined, or the things that moved me, I loved to be able to put into physical form,” Nicole said. “It’s sort of without leaving the house you’re exploring on your own. You’re building worlds, you’re learning and discovering new things.”It wasn’t until the 10th grade that Nicole decided to share her writing with her sister.“I was mesmerized by it. I loved it,” Brittany said.Inspired by Nicole’s work, Brittany tried her hand at writing and formulated the premise for their first book, a sci-fi/fantasy thriller set in 2052.“It was absolutely terrible back then,” said Brittany. “We were about 15 when we thought of the idea for the story, but Nicole actually wanted to write it with me because she saw some potential in it.“We didn’t have the theme, we didn’t have moral arguments, and all these kind of things way back then, and our characters were completely different too.”The twins explained that the idea of the main character, a teenaged girl, volunteering to be bait for a hunt, is the only aspect of the story that has stayed consistent.Many might be surprised to discover that writing together is something the twins really enjoy, and according to them, they rarely argue.“Normally, for the most part, we agree,” Brittany, said.They also agree on the genre of their writing, which is centered in the world of fantasy.“We’ve always loved the idea of no limitations. We loved the idea of being able to do what we want, to do really imaginative and crazy things in our book,” Nicole said.The twins love writing so much they admit that it has been a stumbling block for them.“Honestly we feel that we can always do better, we’re never satisfied,” Nicole said. “We just kind of have to cut the cord at some point and end it, because otherwise we’d probably write a million times, until we’re like old, and never get it out.”When it came to their writing process for the first book, the twins would brainstorm for hours; then each would write their own draft of the story. The process turned out to be very counterproductive, as they wound up with over 20 revisions. It wasn’t until they created an outline for the story, which provided structure to their writing, that it all came together.Hatred Day, released on Jan. 29, is the first installment of the authors’ planned seven-book series. They also aim to write two stand-alone books. The projected completion date for all nine books, according to the twins, is in five years, if not sooner.“Our long range goal is within three to five years to be able to fully support ourselves. That would be the ultimate thing for us, and it’s what we’ve been working towards for so long,” Brittany said.Even with numerous offers from publishers, after a great deal of deliberation the twins decided to go the route of self-publishing.“We like doing it on our own. We wanted to do everything ourselves,” Nicole said.“It is getting a lot more credibility, self-publishing, and it’s a lot easier to do than it was just a few years ago,” Brittany said. “Now a lot more people are open to it.”“I think that YA is mainly in that age [15-19], where you have a lot of firsts in life, you try a lot of new things,” Nicole said.“We don’t actually have that in our book,” she continued, “because they are in such a ruthless world, and they have to survive from a young age, and have to mature more quickly. So ours isn’t really coming of age, but there will be, throughout the series, there will be a lot of firsts, because it’s about growing up, first heartbreaks, and so on.”For more information about the Hatred Day series, visit the authors’ website at:http://tspettibone.com.    

Eight local students were honored by The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill for their academic performance, individual leadership, commitment to the community and overall excellence as part of the organization’s Outstanding Student Achievement Recognition Program.Each of the students were selected by their principals or teachers who identified them as great scholars or student leaders who strive to make the Morgan Hill community a better place, according to Morgan Hill Unified School District’s March 24 press release.“These students selflessly give of their time to help those in need in our area or have persevered in their education and life in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds,” it states.Students were acknowledged with a framed certificate and a cash award after their principal or teacher spoke about their accomplishments. The outstanding students also talked about their successes, and many described their aspirations and future goals.“We are exceptionally proud of all of these young men and women who showcase positive leadership amongst their peers, and we know they will go on to achieve amazing things in life,” said Superintendent Steve Betando.Each student also had the opportunity to identify a quote that reflected their philosophy for personal success:• Katie Meager, an eighth grader from St. Catherine School chose an anonymous writer's quote: "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."• Jodi Rodriguez, an eighth grader from Britton Middle School, found Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy for success an excellent guide: “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life—think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success."• Jaylene Baltazar, an eighth grader from Martin Murphy Middle School, values Albert Einstein's words: “Try not to become the person of success, but rather try to become the person of value.”• Ben Millward, a senior from Oakwood School, identified with Oscar Wilde’s quote: “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.”• Samantha Sadoff, a senior at Live Oak High School, named a proverb that reflected her thoughts about success: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly."• Arthur Rodriguez, a senior at Ann Sobrato High School, reflected on Truman Capote’s quote when thinking of his philosophy for success: “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”• Jerry Juarez, a senior at Central High School, believes in John Wooden’s philosophy: “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”• Ana Barocio, achieving graduation at Community Adult School, likes the philosophy in Winston Churchill’s quote: “If you're going through hell, keep going.”

Local middle school students from the 2016 Morgan Hill Mizuho Student Exchange program are collecting unwanted items to raise funds for their cultural exchange trip to Japan later this year.They will host a Spring Clean-up Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23 at the Goodwill Collection Truck in the Rosso’s furniture store parking lot at the corner of Tennant Avenue and Monterey Road.Books, clothes, electronics, small appliances, toys, household goods and lamps in any condition are welcomed.Prohibited items are furniture/mattresses, exercise equipment, car seats, strollers, construction materials, large appliances, food, liquid, automobile parts and light fixtures.Alternative drop-off dates are 2 to 4 p.m. April 15 or 8 a.m. to noon April 16 at the Morgan Hill Buddhist Community Center located at 16450 Murphy Ave.For more information on accepted items, visit goodwillsv.org.The Mizuho exchange students travel to Japan in July.The sister city exchange program started with the first set of six Japanese students, along with two chaperones, coming to Morgan Hill in 2008. The next year, eight Morgan Hill students, accompanied by two adults, traveled to the sister city in Japan. Students go through a rigorous application and interview process, which includes writing an essay on why they want to travel abroad, before being selected.

Dear Red Phone,What is going on at the property on the west side of U.S. 101 just north of town, where it looks like someone has thrown up a bunch of shed-looking horse stalls and there’s lots of junk scattered around?The property you are referring to—which sits prominently on the side of the busy freeway for motorists stuck in afternoon traffic to gaze upon during their commute—is private land, zoned for agriculture, according to Santa Clara County Code Enforcement Program Manager Mark Ruffing. The site contains a number of small stables for horses.Ruffing said his office has visited the property on a number of occasions, and has notified the property owners that they were in violation of county codes related to exterior storage and unpermitted construction. However, Ruffing said the owner has been cooperative with the county and is working on resolving the issues.The property is located on the west side of U.S. 101, just north of the Cochrane Road exit. The site is accessed off Burnett Avenue.Specifically, county code enforcement issued a compliance order for piles of debris stored outdoors. This violation included bicycles, motorcycle parts and appliances sitting out in the open, which is a violation of county code.“Storing refrigerators, bike parts, household goods…is something that is not allowed,” Ruffing said.Furthermore, some of the horse stables that are larger than 150 square feet in size were out of compliance because they were built without a permit, Ruffing added. Anything larger than 150 square feet in unincorporated county jurisdiction requires a permit, but most of the structures are not that large. County code also spells out a limit to the number of such structures allowed on a property, but so far the site in question does not exceed that limit.There are also some outdoor pens for goats and other livestock on the property, but these are not a subject of the compliance order.“I know it’s unsightly. We have gotten some phone calls, and that’s why we had staff go out there and investigate,” Ruffing said. He added that county staff were on site last week to monitor the removal of some of the debris piles.Dear Red Phone,Why is Ladera Grill allowed to take up valuable parking spaces on Monterey Road in front of their establishment for valet parking, when other downtown businesses are struggling to find available parking for their customers?City staff assured Red Phone that Ladera Grill owner Dan McCranie acquired an “encroachment permit” to use those spots in front of his restaurant. Furthermore, the ability to gain such a permit is not exclusive to Ladera Grill, and other downtown restaurants are encouraged to offer similar services.In fact, offering valet parking service helps with the downtown parking scarcity, as it frees up other spots that can be used by patrons of other nearby businesses, according to Morgan Hill Economic Development Manager Edith Ramirez. Ladera Grill staff parks the vehicles utilizing this service in the VTA lot on Butterfield Boulevard, on the east side of the railroad tracks—a lot that is seldom used by downtown patrons at nighttime, largely due to its distance from the neighborhood and popular restaurants.“If other restaurants are interested in pursuing (similar uses), we as a city would be happy to help them activate their street front by using valet parking, and relieving the parking pressure downtown,” Ramirez said.When the city started a series of construction projects in the downtown in early 2015, the city even began waiving the fee for an encroachment permit for downtown businesses who choose to make similar use of the parking in front of their shops, Ramirez added.The city coordinated with VTA, which owns more than 50 percent of the parking lot on Butterfield Boulevard, to allow McCranie to use those spaces to park valeted vehicles, Ramirez added. There is no fee for Ladera Grill to use those spots, as the valet service only utilizes the lot in the evenings, and it’s free parking for downtown visitors anyway.Ladera Grill currently offers valet parking on Friday and Saturday evenings.

As each of the 80 local families hand-selected fresh produce from bins set out on tables outside St. Catherine’s Parish in Morgan Hill, 13-year-old Trinity Chester greeted them with a welcoming smile and told them how many of each item they could pack in their grocery bag.

A new house-building project at a local high school for Incarcerated youth has the troubled teens learning new career skills while also taking pride in their work.

Members of “I Love Morgan Hill,” a charitable arm of the local Cathedral of Faith congregation, passed out groceries to some 230 qualified families as part of their “Reaching Out Food Program,” which was held March 8 at the Morgan Hill Community Center.

A dozen years after authorities discovered a dangerous amount of perchlorate in the groundwater basin and fingered a local company for the widespread contamination, one of the last remaining wells affected is considered safe to drink from.

The 18th annual South Valley Wine Auction and Food Fest returns to the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road, from 6 to 10 p.m. April 1 for a special evening that benefits local athletics.