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It was a long afternoon at the REI Co-op, but now you have all the gear. The backpack is comfortable, and the boots feel like bedroom slippers. After a little research, you are feeling pretty comfortable with your backpacking know-how. The big question now is where do you go on your very first backpack trip?

A Morgan Hill personal trainer accused of sexually assaulting clients was arrested in court Thursday after prosecutors added six more alleged victims to the case against him.David Wolfsmith, 49 of Morgan Hill, now faces a total of 13 female accusers, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tim McInerny.Based on the statements of the new victims, McInerny filed nine more felony charges against Wolfsmith and asked the judge to increase his bail to $750,000. The judge agreed to do so, and sheriff’s deputies took him into custody in the courtroom and transported him to county jail.Before the Oct. 27 hearing, Wolfsmith was out of custody in lieu of $325,000 bail, and he faced a total of 13 counts related to seven victims, according to authorities. He now faces more than 20 felony charges, including multiple counts of sexual battery by fraud.If convicted, Wolfsmith faces up to 28 years in prison.McInerny said Wolfsmith continued to train clients at his former facility in Morgan Hill after he was charged with initial sexual battery allegations in April, and even after the city revoked his business license in June. In August, he obtained a business license for a “personal training” facility from the City of San Jose.“He totally thumbed his nose at the city (of Morgan Hill) and us, and has moved his operations to San Jose, where he has taken out a business license,” McInerny said. “We felt this was a danger to public safety,” prompting the DA’s office to request the higher bail at the Oct. 27 hearing.Wolfsmith, along with his wife Julia Wolfsmith, are the former owners of Wolfpak Training Center, which was located in downtown Morgan Hill on Monterey Road at Third Street before the city revoked the business license.MHPD officers arrested David Wolfsmith April 11 on suspicion that he sexually assaulted five female victims who were clients at Wolfpak, according to police. In the ensuing investigation, a total of eight female victims have come forward to investigators to report similar offenses. Two of the initial victims were minors at the time of the suspected abuse. Police said the initial investigation into Wolfsmith started in February.Wolfsmith’s next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21 at South County Courthouse.

As Coach Mike Gemo gathered his team following Live Oak’s 35-13 loss to Oak Grove, the attitude was not frustration over a loss, but a lifting up for a game well played.

Sobrato is in need of a win Thursday night after falling in five games to Pioneer on Oct. 20.

Sobrato is in need of a win Thursday night after falling in five games to Pioneer on Oct. 20.

Jury selection in the Sierra LaMar murder case continues as attorneys for the suspect and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office continue to disagree on what evidence will be admissible in the coming trial.The trial for Antolin Garcia Torres, 23 of Morgan Hill, is expected to begin in early January at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. Garcia Torres is accused of kidnapping and murdering Sierra, a 15-year-old Morgan Hill resident, the morning of her disappearance March 16, 2012, according to authorities.Recent court filings indicate Garcia Torres’ attorneys from the county’s Alternate Defender’s Office think statements made by the defendant before officers formally arrested him and read him his Miranda rights should be tossed from consideration.Furthermore, recent news reports this week indicate that Garcia Torres’ attorneys have filed additional briefs suggesting that Sierra voluntarily ran away from home, and was not a victim of any criminal activity by the defendant.Garcia Torres’ motion to suppress his “statement obtained through custodial interrogation without benefit of Miranda,” signed by Deputy Alternate Defender Brian Matthews, says the defendant was “detained” before he was interrogated about Sierra’s disappearance by sheriff’s deputies April 7, 2012. Deputies transported him to the sheriff’s substation in San Martin and questioned Garcia Torres “for four hours,” the motion states.“He was not advised of his Miranda rights until somewhere in the middle of the interrogation,” reads the motion. Matthews claims that anything Garcia Torres said before being read his Miranda rights should be inadmissible during the upcoming trial.Authorities have not said whether Garcia Torres directly implicated himself in these statements. In court, he has steadfastly denied any involvement in Sierra’s disappearance, having entered a plea of not guilty.Deputy D.A. David Boyd, in his response to Matthews’ motion, disagrees with the notion that Garcia Torres was under arrest while he made statements before he was read his Miranda rights. Thus, the statements should still be permissible in the trial, Boyd argues.Garcia Torres was arrested by sheriff’s deputies in May 2012. He is charged with Sierra’s murder, as well as three attempted 2009 kidnappings in the parking lots of two Safeway grocery stores in Morgan Hill.“Defendant was not in custody when…he agreed to speak to officers; was told he was not under arrest; was neither searched nor handcuffed; was interviewed in a non-accusatory manner in an unlocked room at the police station; and was driven home after the interview,” Boyd’s motion states.News reports this week further referred to recent court filings by Garcia Torres’ attorneys that suggest Sierra ran away from home.The D.A.’s office and investigators rejected this theory early on in the investigation. Even though Sierra’s remains have not been found, police think Sierra is dead due to her lack of means to financially support herself, her dependence on family and friends and her lack of contact—including through social media where she had a vast “digital footprint”—since she disappeared.Sierra vanished while walking to her school bus stop near her home at the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues, according to authorities. She was a sophomore at Sobrato High School at the time.Attorneys and prospective jurors will return to court Nov. 14 in San Jose to resume the jury selection process.

Holiday Boutique Season Ready, set, go! The season has arrived and it’s time to make out those holiday boutique route maps from Campbell to Hollister and everywhere in between. In Campbell all 15 rooms of the Ainsley House will be decorated from floor to ceiling featuring a great boutique, holiday teas and tour specials. Gilroy will showcase artisan boutiques at the Gilroy Center of the Arts, Fortino Winery and the Senior Center. Morgan Hill will be getting into the spirit with boutiques and craft fairs at the Hiram Morgan Hill House, the Grange and the historical Machado School. Rancho-Maze Band in Hollister will be inviting over 30 vendors to their boutique. Look for specific details in the calendar section of November’s Out & About magazine.GILROYThe AsylumThe Christopher High School advanced drama class presents a unique and exciting new asylum-themed fall production, Paranormal Investigators: The Asylum, an interactive theater experience. Not all seems right in the town’s abandoned asylum and the new sheriff has decided it should be condemned. There have been reports that lights can be seen glowing through the windows. Some claim that it was shut down due to a patients’ revolt, but not everyone believes the stories. Support local youth theater and catch the final three days on Friday, Oct. 28, Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Christopher High School, 850 Day Rd. Tickets are $10. For more information contact [email protected] or call (831) 524-0629.Holiday Comedy ShowAdd some humor to the holiday season by catching the Limelight Actors Theater production of EXIT Laughing, by Paul Elliott, directed by Kevin Heath. What do you get when three ladies from Birmingham, Alabama, do the most daring thing they have ever done and “borrow” their dearly departed bridge partner’s ashes from the funeral home, for one last card game? You learn the fun you can have when you’re truly living. Join the cast, JoAnna Evans, Rosalind Farotte, Brennan Perry, Tina Elder and Christy Wait on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday from Nov. 4 to Nov. 26 at the Gilroy Center of the Arts, 7341 Monterey St. For tickets and showtimes go to limelightactorstheater.com.HOLLISTERCreatures of the NightOn the night before the new moon go out and explore the wonders of nocturnal animals at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area’s annual Creatures of the Night event. Have a little Halloween fun and dress in your favorite costume if you dare. The hike is less than a mile through the beautiful wooded area of Beck Trail. Bring a flashlight, water and layered clothing. Meet at the Nature Area parking on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. at 7800 Cienega Rd. This event is free with a $5 per car entrance fee into the park. For more information contact Michelle at (831) 638-3207 or go to ohv.parks.ca.gov.Fall Luncheon and MarketplaceIf you have a love for beef then you’ll want to be a part of the Annual Fall Luncheon and Country Christmas Marketplace sponsored by the San Benito County CattleWomen’s Association. The main focus of the association is to instill a love of agricultural land and lifestyle and to provide information about the livestock industry. The Country Marketplace boutique will provide a selection of holiday gifts and raffle prizes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The luncheon, with its beef-inspired menu will take place at noon. The entire marketplace will be open on Nov. 6 at San Juan Oaks Golf and Country Club on 3825 Union Rd. Seating is limited. The $35 fee includes a door prize ticket. For tickets contact Jayme Stewart at (831) 801-0394.SAN JUAN BAUTISTAHalloween PartyJoin in for spooky good time before your trick-or-treating begins! Bring the whole family to enjoy games, treats and free hot dogs at the ninth Annual Children’s Halloween Party. Don’t forget your costume and enter in the costume contest. The family fun takes place rain or shine from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31 at San Juan Community Center, 10 San Jose St. For more information, call (831) 623-4661.MORGAN HILLHappy KidsMeet Robin Ray Green, the author of Heal Your Child from the Inside Out: The 5 Element Way to Nurturing Healthy, Happy Kids. Green is an acupuncturist, author and speaker dedicated to helping families create harmony by blending Eastern and Western medicine. She believes that every child has the same basic needs for love, food, sleep, play and movement. Learn how to use the ancient wisdom of the five elements to find simple solutions for modern health and behavioral issues on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at BookSmart, 1295 East Dunne Ave, Morgan Hill. Find out more at robinraygreen.com.Safe Trick or TreatBring the family and don your finest Halloween costumes for a free and Safe Trick or Treat night. Join the fun as Morgan Hill merchants, churches and nonprofits gather downtown to hand out candy to festive Halloween costumed children. The event is sponsored by The City of Morgan Hill and The Morgan Hill Downtown Association. The fun happens from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 in downtown Morgan Hill. For more information, visit morganhilldowntown.org THE VALLEYClassical DebutRussian virtuoso concert pianist Vyacheslav Gryaznov (pronounced vee-OCH-a-slaf  gree-OZ-noff) will fascinate and enthrall audiences in his West Coast debut. His piano mastery is highly acclaimed and he has received many awards in prestigious international competitions. The program includes works from Beethoven and Rachmaninov. Gryaznov will premier his transcription for solo piano performance of Prokofiev-Gryaznov Sur la Borysthene. The Bay Area Steinway Society of San Jose invites the public to this classical piano recital on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Trianon Theatre on 72 North Fifth St. Tickets range from $40 to $60 and can be purchased at steinwaysociety.com. To learn more, visit gryaznoff.com/en. 

Voted the top burger joint in Gilroy in 2016, palate pleaser Cafe 152 Burger at 8401 Church St. draws in out-of-towners and locals alike.

Candidates for local city elected offices continue to file campaign funding disclosures with early voting under way for the Nov. 8 election.In the race for City of Morgan Hill seats, two incumbents—Mayor Steve Tate and Councilwoman Marilyn Librers—last week filed updated “Form 497s,” which are required whenever a candidate receives a contribution totaling $1,000 or more within 90 days prior to the election, according to City Clerk Irma Torrez.Tate reported a campaign contribution of $1,000 from CA Real Estate, a Los Angeles-based Political Action Committee.Tate, who is seeking his sixth term as Mayor of Morgan Hill, is running against Kirk Bertolet and Joseph Carrillo.The mayor also filed his latest Form 460, a list of contributions received since the last reporting period ended in September, a few days before the Oct. 27 deadline. This list shows campaign contributions received by Tate from the CA Apartment Association PAC ($250), Morgan Hill resident and longtime farmer George Chiala ($250), John and Michelle McKay ($100) and PG&E ($250).Librers filed two Form 497s this month. One lists a $3,000 campaign contribution received Oct. 15 from Cupertino-based Monterey Dynasty LLC. This company is the developer of the Diamond Creek residential project on Monterey Road south of Vineyard Boulevard.On Oct. 4, Librers also reported a contribution of $1,000 from the CalFire Local 2881 union.Librers is facing incumbent Larry Carr and challengers Mario Banuelos, Armando Benavides and Rene Spring. The top two vote recipients in the council race will win the two available seats.Spring filed his latest list of Form 460 contributions this week, listing a total of $2,745 worth of contributions since late September. Spring’s campaign financiers include the IBEW Education Fund ($500), Laborers LO 270 PAC ($500), Santa Clara/Benito Building Trades PAC ($500) and the South County Democratic Club ($250).Spring, a tech project manager by trade, has contributed more than $19,000 to his own campaign.