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Is it better to plow through a public park or a neighborhood of homes to make way for the statewide High Speed Rail project that is projected to come to Morgan Hill by 2025? Will the city council get the definitive answers they want from HSR officials to questions posed by local residents about the impact of the project? How much weight does Morgan Hill’s input have on the final alignment and design of the state’s 400-mile, $65 billion bullet train system?

A Morgan Hill man accused of trying to kill his wife and three children at their apartment complex appeared in court for his arraignment Wednesday afternoon, according to authorities.The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Eduardo Ramirez, 26, with four counts of attempted murder and three felony counts of child abuse, according to Supervising Deputy DA Vishal Bathija. He faces life in prison if convicted of the attempted murder charges.Ramirez’ arraignment hearing took place May 24 at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill. The judge ruled that Ramirez will continue to be held without bail at Santa Clara County Jail, and the court issued protective orders prohibiting the defendant to contact all four victims, Bathija said.The next hearing for Ramirez will take place June 2 at the Morgan Hill Courthouse.Ramirez was arrested by Morgan Hill Police May 20 after officers were called to a domestic dispute outside a Bisceglia Avenue apartment complex, just south of downtown Morgan Hill. Officers arrived to find Ramirez in the parking lot stabbing himself “in the neck and shoulder area” with a pocket knife, according to police.An approaching officer ordered Ramirez to drop the knife, but he did not comply, police said. The officer used his taser to subdue Ramirez, who was detained without further incident.Police then searched Ramirez’ apartment and found his wife and three children—all younger than 14—suffering from stab wounds, according to authorities. One of the children was a baby.The wife and children were transported to an area hospital. MHPD Sgt. Carson Thomas said May 22 that all four victims had been released from the hospital.Anyone with information regarding this case can call MHPD Detective Fernando Del Moral at (669) 253-4964 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-STOP.

Convicted murderer Antolin Garcia Torres suffered the loss of close family members and might have been exposed to pesticides and harmful toxins in the tap water when he was growing up in impoverished conditions in South County, according to testimony in the Sierra LaMar trial this week. His father was reportedly an alcoholic who often abused his mother in front of the kids, and was frequently absent from the home while the defendant was growing up.Relatives of Garcia Torres, 26 of Morgan Hill, took the witness stand this week as his attorneys began their quest for a sentence of life in prison in the trial’s penalty phase.Laura Torres, Antolin’s mother, tearfully professed her unconditional love for her son when asked on the stand May 22 why the jury should decline to give him the death penalty.“Wherever he goes, I will follow,” Laura Torres cried in Spanish, with a court-appointed translator relaying her testimony in English. “He’s my son. I love him. He has always been good to me.”She added that if Garcia Torres is sentenced to life in prison, she will try to visit him and talk to him on the phone as often as she can.Antolin Garcia Torres was convicted May 9 of murdering Sierra LaMar, who was 15 when she disappeared from her mother’s north Morgan Hill home March 16, 2012. Sierra’s remains have not been found, but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Garcia Torres. The only other sentencing option—to be determined by the same jury that convicted him—is life in prison without the possibility of parole.Garcia Torres was also convicted of three 2009 attempted kidnappings in the parking lots of two Safeway stores in Morgan Hill.He was convicted following a three-month trial at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.Laura Torres testified May 22 about the family’s history of tragedy and hardships, which started before she moved to California from Mexico, where her second child died shortly after birth. The family, including Laura’s husband and Antolin’s father Genaro Garcia Fernandez, moved into a shack on a strawberry field in San Martin when they first moved to the states.She described the dilapidated, cramped conditions of the home, which had no heating or insulation in the walls, and only two mattresses for four people to sleep on. The next house they moved to, also in San Martin, had a leaky roof, and Laura Torres demonstrated how the family stayed dry when it rained by patching the holes with plastic garbage bags.Both parents picked strawberries for a living while Laura Torres was pregnant with Antolin, and the family was exposed to unknown chemicals sprayed regularly on the crops. Defense attorney Brian Matthews presumed these chemicals to be pesticides.Matthews also asked Laura Torres if Antolin, his parents and siblings drank, bathed in and cooked with the tap water at the various homes in San Martin and Morgan Hill the children grew up in. The mother said they did.The family consumed the tap water long before a massive perchlorate plume in the South County groundwater basin, which had been leaching from a Morgan Hill road flares plant for 40 years, was detected in 2003. Antolin was born in 1991. He had four siblings—two older and two younger.Laura Torres later worked at least two jobs while attending school, while Fernandez was often drunk and in jail. Fernandez was abusive toward Laura Torres when he was drinking, she testified. He hit her multiple times when she was pregnant with Antolin.She recalled one of these incidents May 22: “I asked him to give me a massage. He started to, but he hit me with a closed fist right here,” she said as she pointed to her chin.Fernandez even threatened to kill the whole family at one time. He once tried to burn the family vehicle. The mother once fled for several weeks with the children to Napa Valley, to stay with Fernandez’ family.Fernandez is now in prison on 17 counts of sexual abuse related to his molestation of a female relative while Antolin was growing up.On another occasion, the husband wrapped Laura Torres’ long braided hair around her neck several times, in an effort to choke her, she testified. The incident terrified her so much that she cut her hair shortly afterwards.When asked by Matthews if she was afraid for her safety and that of her children, Laura Torres said, “Always.”Family tragediesFurthermore, Antolin’s oldest brother Benny—the oldest of Laura Torres’ children—began getting in legal trouble when he was 15, and spent years in jail before he was deported to Mexico.Antolin had a close relationship with two of his uncles—Laura’s brothers—who died while he was growing up, his mother testified.Following this succession of tragedies, including Fernandez leaving the family when Antolin was a teenager, “It felt like the family was going to fall apart,” Laura Torres said.In the face of these hardships, Antolin was always a “loving (and) responsible” son, his mother testified.Matthews and the defense team are hoping to elicit sympathy for Antolin from the jury by presenting this backdrop of poverty and abuse that characterize his upbringing. During testimony May 22, Matthews displayed several photos of Antolin and the family when he was a child.Also this week, one of Garcia Torres’ sisters and a family friend testified for the defense, according to news reports.Questions about deputy’s testimonyOn May 24, Judge Vanessa Zecher is expected to hear a motion from the defense to consider the ramifications of the testimony of a sheriff’s deputy who testified against Garcia Torres during the guilt phase of the trial, according to a May 23 report from the San Jose Mercury News.The same deputy, Sgt. Herman Leon, gave false testimony in a previous case in which the judge later set aside the two defendants’ guilty verdicts, the Mercury News report says.

Live Oak made Terra Nova pay for its errors with timely hitting in their 7-4 win at Los Gatos High School Saturday morning and advance to the semifinal round of the CCS division II playoffs.

Local police officers arrested a 26-year-old Morgan Hill man May 20 on suspicion of multiple counts of attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed a woman and her three young children.Responding to a 911 call of a domestic dispute at 4:45 p.m. Saturday at a Bisceglia Avenue apartment complex, Morgan Hill police officers arrived to find Eduardo Ramirez in the parking lot stabbing himself with a pocket knife, according to a press release from MHPD.After detaining Ramirez with the use of a taser gun, they went inside his apartment and discovered an adult woman, two children younger than 14 and a baby all suffering from stab wounds, MHPD reported.Ramirez was arrested on suspicion of four counts of attempted murder, child endangerment, domestic violence and resisting/delaying arrest, according to police.“As the officer approached the male, the officer realized the male had a pocket knife in his hand, and was stabbing himself in the neck and shoulder area,” according to the MHPD press release. “The officer ordered the male multiple times to drop the knife but the male did not comply. The officer eventually deployed his taser and the male was detained.”Anyone with information regarding this case can call MHPD Detective Fernando Del Moral at (669) 253-4964 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-STOP.

When a fluky play in the first and a timely hit put Live Oak in a 2-1 hole after three innings, the Acorns rallied together and found a way against Mt. Pleasant.

In a funny way, the Live Oak softball team was talking about the first round playoff curse.

May 19: A day in the life of a mushroom

While some types of crime are on the rise in Morgan Hill in the last year, the 2016 MHPD Annual Report shows the city remains safe, as the most serious categories of offenses are in decline.And while Morgan Hill, like other cities and counties in California, is challenged by recent state reforms that make it harder for local jurisdictions to keep potentially violent suspects in check, Police Chief David Swing said the local department is making strides in keeping the community safe by increasing engagement with the public and being more proactive in identifying criminals and preventing threats.“The report illustrates the work being done, and the quality and quantity of work being done by the men and women in this department, and I’m very proud and honored to be able to lead them,” Swing said.The latest MHPD Annual Report was distributed to the public last week. The document gives an overview of what federal authorities classify as “part 1” crimes—which as a whole are decreasing in Morgan Hill—and it lists some of the department’s accomplishments, new initiatives and other statistics.Part 1 crimes “are defined as offenses that are more serious crimes by nature and/or volume,” the report states. These include theft, vehicle theft, burglary and violent crimes such as homicide and assault. In Morgan Hill, theft makes up the highest category (49 percent, or 418 incidents) of all Part 1 crimes, followed by assault (22 percent). Burglary and vehicle theft each account for 13 percent of the local Part 1 volume. Robbery makes up about 3 percent of the total, or 21 incidents. There were no homicides in 2016, and three reported incidents of rape.  Most cities in Santa Clara County, including Morgan Hill, have seen a decrease in Part 1 crimes when 2016 totals are compared to those of 2015, the report states.“We enjoy a relatively low crime rate in Morgan Hill,” Swing said. “Our residents are served by a group of dedicated professionals, many of whom live in South County—so they have a personal commitment” to local safety.However, Swing added it is “concerning” to see increases in residential burglaries, which are also on the rise in other Bay Area cities. These incidents are up to 111 in 2016 from 100 in 2015, but are down from a peak of 164 incidents in 2013.Another growing trend in Morgan Hill is the recovery of firearms from criminal suspects, Swing said. So far in 2017, officers have confiscated 11 guns as evidence during traffic stops or searches. That’s on pace to significantly surpass the 19 firearms recovered in 2015, and 18 confiscated in 2016. In 2014, MHPD officers recovered seven firearms from “people arrested for other crimes.”“Clearly, the increased presence of firearms is a real threat to our community, and to our officers’ safety,” Swing said.And in yet another growing trend, more suspects arrested in Morgan Hill are from other communities, Swing said. In 2016, he said more than half the people arrested here list their residence in another city.Reforms make it harderSome new state laws approved in recent years make it more difficult for local police departments to reduce crime in California. These include Proposition 47, which was approved by the voters in 2014 and reclassified certain nonviolent felonies as misdemeanors.This requires local police to issue citations for theft suspects, for example, who would have “earned a trip to county jail” before Prop 47 was approved, Swing said.The chief listed two of many examples of how this has impacted safety in Morgan Hill in recent months. In an incident earlier this year, officers contacted a suspect in possession of drugs—once a felony, but a misdemeanor under Prop 47. An officer gave the suspect a ticket and let him go.A little while later, the suspect walked into downtown Morgan Hill, and tried to snatch a purse from a customer who was eating on the outdoor patio of a busy restaurant, Swing said. A witness gave chase to the suspect, and police caught up to him and made an arrest.“Pre-Prop 47, that person having lunch in Morgan Hill doesn’t experience the theft of her purse,” because officers would have detained him for the drug possession, Swing said.Another state law that has allegedly made it easier for criminals is AB109, an effort passed in 2011 to reduce the state’s prison population by moving repeat, nonviolent offenders to county jails. Many law enforcement experts have argued this law has placed more criminals—including some violent ones—back on the streets.Less is known about the impact of Proposition 57, which was just approved by voters in November 2016. This proposition makes it easier for judges to release nonviolent criminals on parole.Swing added that at least one study, conducted by Stanford University, ties a statewide increase in auto thefts to these state reforms. In Morgan Hill, police are seeing more vehicle thefts, as well as stolen cars being used in other crimes.Traffic and other numbersTraffic accidents, often overlooked as a public safety issue, increased by a big margin in Morgan Hill in 2016. Police and emergency personnel responded to 283 accidents in 2016, compared to 209 in both 2014 and 2015, according to the annual report.Strategies to decrease the number of collisions, implemented by the MHPD traffic unit and patrol officers, include “directed traffic enforcement, responding to traffic complaints, community outreach campaigns and safe driving education,” the report reads.The annual report also notes that 50 percent of all police reports filed by MHPD officers result in an arrest. That percentage is higher than Gilroy, Palo Alto, Campbell and other similar size cities in Santa Clara County, according to the report.Engagement is keyThe 2016 annual report touts the effectiveness of some new programs instituted at MHPD in the last couple years.One of these is the reinstatement of the department’s Street Crimes Team, which was approved by the council earlier this year. This unit has just recently sprung back into action, tackling gang activity and violent crime, as well as “quality of life issues throughout the community,” Swing said.The Street Crimes Unit is also addressing local homelessness, Swing added. These officers will work with other local agencies and nonprofits to connect homeless people to services that can eventually move them into long-term housing.The report lists other community engagement efforts MHPD has participated in over the last year: Shop With A Cop, Safe Trick or Treat, Coffee With a Cop (next installment coming up May 19 at Peet’s on Cochrane Road) and vacation home checks performed by the department’s Volunteers In Policing program.