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Running around doing errands or shopping, it’s no surprise that we tend to concentrate on our own agenda. We might be making mental notes: “Okay, I need to buy a wine red dress for the party.I need to get these black heels for the dance.” And while this focus is good, it’s easy to undervalue the retail workers who help us out with everything from the red dress to the black heels.Walking around the outlets this week, I tried to give these employees a little more attention and praise.After browsing around one store, I went to the counter and was greeted by Kimberly Bernardo. Bernardo, 17, is a high school senior who works at De Colores, an all girls’ clothing store.She laughed when I asked her how much she spends on clothes. “I narrowed it down because I usually would go out of control with my shopping sprees, so now I spend about $100 per month,” she says. Her fashion inspiration is Vanessa Hudgens, who is known for getting a lot of her clothing from Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters happens to be Bernardo’s favorite store, and not just because of Vanessa Hudgens. Bernardo likes the store’s good clothing materials and hip fashion selection.Forever 21, is trendy fashion hub for young women. Refolding a mountain of T-shirts, I saw fashionably dressed employee, Karly Heredia, at Forever 21.Heredia, 22, must be in the right place, because she gets to work at her favorite store. She spends about $300 a month on clothes, and especially likes thrift shopping for anything that’s different. Like Bernardo, her fashion inspiration is the beautiful Vanessa Hudgens.

Be sure to catch some great rock, blues and country tunes at The Mike Osborn Band’s District Theater performance on Friday, Aug. 12.

Police arrested four young men on a variety of charges after one of them fired a gun in the process of attempting to steal marijuana plants from a residence in southwest Morgan Hill Aug. 5, authorities said.Morgan Hill Police officers responded to the residence on Manor Court about 6:15 p.m., where someone called to report a disturbance, according to MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling.“When we got there, we saw four people fighting with two others,” Hoefling said. Police later determined the two who were outnumbered were residents of the home on Manor Court.When the four aggressors—two juveniles and two adults—saw the officers, they “took off running,” Hoefling said. Officers set up a perimeter around the neighborhood with the help of deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and pursued the four males, Hoefling said. Officers caught up with all four suspects, and found a loaded firearm on one of the young men.The two victims identified all four suspects, police said.Police determined the four suspects had jumped over a fence into the backyard of the Manor Court residence and tried to steal a number of marijuana plants that were growing on the property, Hoefling said.During the altercation that followed when the residents saw the robbery in progress, one of the suspects hit a victim with a belt buckle, police said. The victim reported redness and swelling, but no other significant injuries occurred during the incident.Hoefling added a shot was fired during the fight, but officers could not determine in which direction or where the bullet landed.Arrested were Andrae Martinez, 21 of Morgan Hill, on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm, brandishing, terrorist threats, resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon; Alejandro Gutierrez, 18 of Gilroy, on suspicion of resisting arrest; a 17-year-old juvenile on suspicion of resisting arrest; and a 16-year-old on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon (belt buckle), criminal threats, resisting arrest and a probation violation.Anyone with information about this incident can contact Morgan Hill Police at (408) 779-2101.

Thirteen San Martin residents—including six children—are looking for a place to live after a fire ravaged several mobile homes, vehicles and greenhouses Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested an East Palo Alto woman who is accused in a string of Bay Area bank robberies, including one in Morgan Hill, according to authorities.

Garden Railroad Tour - If you enjoy model trains, then check out the 22nd Annual Garden Railroad Tour. The tour benefits St. Joseph’s Center and Community Pantry. You can drop off non-perishable food items at any tour site. Pick up the Tour Guide and Etiquette Booklet at Garden Accents, 11155 Lean Ave, Gilroy or BookSmart, 1285 E. Dunne Ave in Morgan Hill. Visit nine stunning model railways running throughout spectacular backyard gardens in Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister and Aromas on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information contact [email protected] or visit bagrs.org

Gilroy may not be the New York or Paris of fashion, but that does not mean our little town lacks a sense of style. Walking around Gilroy this weekend, I ran into many people of different genders, races and ages. Despite all these differences, they had one very special trait in common—a striking sense of style.Starbucks, the hot spot for sleep deprived workers, teenage girls and… this just in..., electronic design firm owners? Melanie Byerly, 65, was on her way to Monterey, when she made a quick pit stop at the Gilroy Outlets. Like others who can remember midcentury elegance, her fashion inspiration is Jackie Kennedy. Byerly says “[Mrs. Kennedy] had a great sense of style, but of course she had a great deal of money so she could buy the best,” says Byerly. “I like the simplicity of her dress, the beautiful lines, and she used beautiful fabrics, not a lot of ornamentation.” One can match Byerly’s beautiful style by spending $500 per month on clothes and shopping at her favorite store, J Crew.Starbucks must be the fashion hub of Gilroy, because standing in line waiting to buy a cool beverage, was Acacia Alvarez, 16. Her teal hair caught my eye, and I knew I had to sit down and talk with her.Alvarez is a full-time student, but works at Tapioca Express and babysits on the side. Being a student, she limits how much she spends on clothes, spending less than $25 on most items. Some of her fashion choices are inspired by Manon Macasaet and Ceilidh Joy, two models that focus on vintage clothing, but often add their own personal, modern twist to their style. For example, Alvarez says, they’ll wear a vintage top and then rock it with a tight black leather skirt. These two extremes make a very bold fashion statement—one Alvarez strives for.

We are very fortunate that the hills west of Interstate 280 along the San Francisco Peninsula remain largely wild and undeveloped. Many acres of that land are open every day to the public at no charge or for a small day use fee, but not all.

In a world of fad diets and low-fat foods, the major pork producers in America have, over the last 60 years or so, reengineered the tasty hog.