Local Scene: Volunteer for South Valley Symphony
The nonprofit South Valley Symphony is seeking volunteers to serve on its board of directors. Applicants should have a strong interest in helping to shape the symphony’s activities over the coming years, and should be enthusiastic about becoming a part of the symphony’s long-standing...
Gavilan celebrates largest graduating class in college’s history
Gavilan College honored its largest graduating class in school history May 24, awarding 1,779 associate degrees and certificates during a ceremony at the college’s Gilroy campus. It was Gavilan’s 105th commencement ceremony.
“Class of 2025, congratulations. You are a part of history,” Gavilan College Superintendent...
‘The Prom’ brings fight for inclusion to South Valley stage
South Valley Civic Theatre will present the Tony-nominated musical “The Prom” beginning June 20 at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse, bringing a story of acceptance and inclusion to local audiences through song, dance and comedy.
Directed by Tressa Bender, the production follows a group of...
Gavilan celebrates largest graduating class in college’s history
Gavilan College honored its largest graduating class in school history May 24, awarding 1,779 associate degrees and certificates during a ceremony at the college’s Gilroy campus. It was Gavilan’s 105th commencement ceremony.
“Class of 2025, congratulations. You are a part of history,” Gavilan College Superintendent...
Twice Tyger burns bright in the Valley of the Heart’s Delight
Proprietor Billoo Rataul stands tall and proud as he surveys the vineyard land that gently slopes to the banks of Machado Creek outside Morgan Hill. Born and raised in northeast India, he grew up near jungles where beasts still roamed, and his childhood imagination...
Editorial: Let’s end the stigma surrounding fentanyl
The fentanyl crisis is ravaging communities around the country, touching lives across every socioeconomic, racial and geographic line. Yet too often, our conversations about fentanyl overdoses are clouded by stigma, misinformation and judgment.
It’s time to change that.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times...
Religion: Vesak: A Celebration of Truth and Peace
Every year, on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month, Buddhists worldwide come together to honor Vesak, which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. More than a religious observance, Vesak signifies humanity’s collective journey toward wisdom, compassion and inner...
Officials dedicate 14.1 miles of Bay Area Ridge Trail in Morgan Hill
State and local officials celebrated the addition of 14.1 miles to the Bay Area Ridge Trail May 30, marking the largest single-day dedication in decades for the ambitious project to create a continuous 550-mile loop around the San Francisco Bay Area.
The newly dedicated section...
South County mothers fight against fentanyl
Three mothers from California's South Valley have turned their grief into advocacy after losing their teenage sons to fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills.
Gilroy residents Geralyn Vasquez, Lisa Marquez and Stephanie Carrasco each lost sons between ages 17 and 21 to what the young men believed were...
Morgan Hill remembers
Several hundred people gathered at the downtown veterans' memorial in Morgan Hill May 26, where Vietnam War veteran Eddie Bowers hosted a remembrance as he has done for decades.
The Memorial Day ceremony has become an annual tradition in the community, drawing families, veterans and local residents who...

















