”
One of the most entertaining parts of the Morgan Hill Times is
the Police Blotter. However in recent weeks the segment is
intermittent at best and is omitted from quite a few newspapers
altogether. What’s the deal?
”
“One of the most entertaining parts of the Morgan Hill Times is the Police Blotter. However in recent weeks the segment is intermittent at best and is omitted from quite a few newspapers altogether. What’s the deal?”
Dear Entertained, Red Phone agrees it is one of the most entertaining and most well read parts of the paper, but must respectfully disagree with your assertion that some days it’s missing from the paper. The Police Blotter runs in every edition, without fail. Due to space and time limitations, it doesn’t always run on the same page, and some days it contains just an item or two, but rest assured it runs every issue. If you’d like to look back, on Dec. 2 it ran on page A5, Dec. 5 on A2, Dec. 9 on A2, Dec. 12 on A6, Dec. 16 on A2, Dec. 19 on A6, Dec. 23 on A6, Dec. 26 on A8. Today’s police blotter, along with the police briefs, appears on page A8.
So good caller, keep reading and let’s hope your name never appears.
‘Humps’ are a waste of taxpayer money
“I saw an article about these humps on First Street. I guess the bottom line is that these things are just a horrific waste of money and they do nothing to solve the traffic problem. Look at traffic north and south of the humps, as well as throughout the city. Traffic is a disaster and people drive crazy. Fortunately, we have our motorcycle officer to help shovel against the tide. I like to call him the most hated man in Morgan Hill because he’s trying to get people to drive in a safe manner. But, anyway, back to the humps. I come to a complete stop. It does a pretty good job of jamming up the traffic during rush hour, but I don’t think they do any good.”
Dear Humped, Red Phone assumes you’re referring to the “humps” on Monterey Road near Third Street. This issue has been discussed numerous times in this column, and Red Phone wants motorists to know that it’s not necessary to come to a complete stop. Traffic would move smoother through downtown if everyone did pass over them at the speed limit (25 mph) instead of coming to a complete stop. However, they do accomplish one task, and that is to force people to drive slower through downtown. And as far as the motorcycle officer being the most hated man in Morgan Hill, perhaps those who received tickets from him agree. Others just want him to keep the streets safe.
Downtown theater needs to reopen
“I am curious about what’s happening to the theater in downtown Morgan Hill. I have talked with several merchants in Morgan Hill and they said there was an individual who wanted to reopen the theater but was denied by the city because he wanted a lease. It would be a good magnet for downtown and I am sure that the merchants would appreciate it. I’d like information on why that permit was denied.”
Dear Curious, there have been several ideas floated to get something going at the old theater, which has been empty since it closed in 2003. Since the city bought the landmark in December 2007, two locals have submitted ideas. First, business owner Robert Garcia approached the city with his plan to show art-house movies. His proposal was well received, but when he learned it would cost $250,000 to bring it up to standard and the city refused to help pay for the upgrades, Garcia backed out. Then BookSmart owner Brad Jones approached the city with a plan for a collaborative effort to open the theater in the short term with multiple events. But the city wasn’t interested, in part because the proposal called for the purchase of two $40,000 digital movie projectors.
So good caller, you are right. A thriving Granada Theater would be great for downtown merchants, but sadly it remains vacant. Keep in mind that the city has plans to redevelop that entire block, but with the country in a recession and the city looking to balance its budget, it appears nothing will happen in the short term.
