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Morgan Hill
April 6, 2026

Crunch Time: Harsh steroid suspensions were a long time coming

Major League Baseball is finally trying to clean up the sport and it's doing it with the seriousness that should have been there 10 years ago when the Mitchell Report came out.

Religion Today: All invited to ‘You can’t take it with you’

Gilroy's St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (651 Broadway St.)

Deconstructing the ‘skinny’ about food reports

Are you finding it harder to eat these days? For example:

Solyndra won’t stop dawning of solar energy industry

After listening to President Obama's speech he gave on jobs to a

Pastor dispels fear of Islam

There is no doubt the terrorist attacks of 9/11 spread fear among the U.S. public, and the recent Boston Marathon bombing has raised the anxiety level once again. No doubt, some of the ongoing controversy concerning the proposed mosque in San Martin can be attributed to this phenomenon, but perhaps a new book can help alleviate this problem.

Restaurant noise levels can make or break out to dinner

Lady M and I went out to dinner the other night and what we hoped would be a quiet, romantic meal was, in part, disappointing because we could barely hear what each other had to say. That didn’t bother Lady M too much because I never have that much to say that she hasn’t heard several times before, or because what I am talking about just doesn’t interest her. I mean how can she not be interested in Buster Posey, Jumbo Joe or the ’Niners? But she isn’t. On the other hand, I love to hear about the beautiful new shoes she saw at Nordy’s, her latest recipe for a flambé, parfait, soufflé rutabaga, and about her hair dresser’s latest romance. 

Our Town: Wine Week a success

Starting April 19 the wife and I decided to take full advantage of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association’s Wine Week and attend one of the events each evening. I’ll admit that I am somewhat involved in organizing Wine Week but this in no way influenced me to participate in the week’s events. My desire to eat fine food and drink fine wines in the company of good friends was all I needed.Wine Week started Sunday, April 19 with most downtown restaurants offering no corkage charge so you could bring and enjoy one of your own bottles of local wine that first day.  We started the week with a nice lunch at Ladera Grill downtown.The evening events started at Bubbles on Monday by meeting a friend, dining, and drinking local wines in the “Taste of Locals” wine flight (three nice samples of local wines). We chatted with co-owner David Dindak and learned about his plans to expand the offerings at his growing business. Since we were recent wine tasting class graduates of Cindy Adams (of Guglielmo) we skipped this evening’s classes but luckily one of the recent graduates joined us and filled us in on the wonderful class.Tuesday night presented a tough choice for us since both Ladera Grill and Odeum were hosting wine pairing dinners. We chose Odeum for their once-a-year event. As usual with our finest restaurants the food was incredible and Jason Stephens Winery brought out some of their newest releases and finest wines.I was informed by our friend, a graduate of the previous evening’s wine class, that the four winemakers hosted by Ladera Grill provided the usual fine wines. We won’t miss the last two winemaker dinners in their series this year.Wednesday again provided tough choices. We’re regulars at Rosy’s wine dinners so we chose the Good Fork which featured the wines of Madeiros Family Vineyards. The food and wine were incredible and the Good Fork seamlessly delivered their meals to an overflow crowd.Rosy’s had sold out and Vic Vanni with Solis Winery and Rosy’s food continued the trend and impressed their guests.Back to Bubbles Thursday night for a special dinner paired with wines from Calera. Although Calera is from San Benito County we looked forward to that evening and the “localish” wine offerings.Noah’s Bar and Bistro also hosted a wine maker dinner Thursday with Guglielmo that I am sure was a success with two local favorites.Friday night included “Our Award Winning Wine Region Celebration” event that offered truly spectacular wines and food from our locals. This new event will grow and I expect it to be worthy of the caliber of food and wine served while continuing to honor the local wine association’s award winning ways.The Morgan Hill Wine Shop and Cigar Company held a wine tasting that evening too.Saturday found me volunteering for the Wine Stroll as I started my recovery period.A lot of great food and great wine was consumed in downtown Morgan Hill that week. I hope you were one of the people who took the opportunity to get out and enjoy the fruits of our local region. I know I sure did and I will be back for more next year.John McKay is a longtime Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

The joy of unexpected guests

A Thanksgiving dinner takes time to plan, and part of the

Conquering Clouds Rest

Last December in my “Getting Out” column in the sports section, I challenged my readers: On July 13, come with me on a long and difficult hike to the top of 9,931-foot Clouds Rest, a massive peak that rises 1,100 feet above Half Dome - Yosemite Valley's iconic landmark. During the intervening six months, we will take a series of hikes to prepare for the big day. Who among you has the stuff to take on the Clouds Rest Challenge?

Stuffed cabbage with an Italian inflection

Cruciferous is a designation that comprises the Brassica members of the cabbage family, including cavolo nero, mustard and turnip greens, along with cauliflower and collards, plus radishes, horseradish and arugula. The name derives from the flower common to these plants, the four petals of which spread to form a cross. Hence, “crucifer”-ous.

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