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A juvenile was rescued by helicopter on the side of Anderson Dam after getting stuck in a steep area covered with loose rock on Memorial Day, according to CalFire Battalion Chief Jim Crawford.About 3 p.m. May 25, CalFire received a call from staff at Anderson Reservoir park, on Cochrane Road in northeast Morgan Hill, that two juvenile hikers were stuck on a hillside next to the dam, on the north side of Coyote Creek, Crawford said.The hikers were “in an area that is usually closed to hikers,” Crawford said. The terrain they were on was comprised of steep shale, which can be difficult for a hiker to gain a foothold.“The ground is really slippery up there, which is why it’s closed to hikers,” Crawford said.One of the hikers was airlifted out of the area by an emergency helicopter. The other was able to climb back to firm ground with firefighters’ assistance.Both hikers suffered minor injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital, Crawford said.

Gavilan College held its graduation ceremony Thursday. See a slew of photos from the event.

Eevery weekday morning before the official start of school, 26 students at South Valley Middle School in Gilroy take extra time to make sure their shirts are tucked in, their belts are adjusted, and their sweaters are straightened. Why? Because they know their teacher, Carmen Kotto, expects the best from them.

The San Jose man accused by police of killing John Flood in a downtown Morgan Hill fight May 20 will be released from custody while prosecutors review the criminal case against him.Joseph Haley, 32, will be released “some time tonight,” May 21, Santa Clara County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Steve Lowney saidHaley was arrested by Morgan Hill police on suspicion of murder in relation to the early morning fight behind the M&H Tavern May 20. He is accused of causing major head injuries during the 1 a.m. incident that resulted in Flood’s death.“The case is under review. The review cannot be completed before the suspect's arraignment date. Consequently, the suspect will be released from custody,” Lowney said.Lowney did not specify how long it would take for prosecutors and investigators to complete the review of the case.Criminal defendants in California cannot be held for more than 48 hours after their arrest without an arraignment hearing, where charges are formally announced.Officers responded to the Tavern about 1:35 a.m. May 20 on a report of a man lying on the ground and bleeding from his head in the parking lot behind the establishment, on the 17300 block of Monterey Road, MHPD Sgt. Carson Thomas said. Officers located the man who was suffering from “major head trauma.” The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Police identified Haley as the suspect through witness statements and video surveillance footage from the Tavern’s security system.Flood worked at The Hill bar and restaurant across the street from the Tavern, according to The Hill’s owner Dustin Evanger. The Hill will host a 9 p.m. memorial wake for Flood May 21. Employees and patrons will pass around a bucket to take donations for the Wounded Warrior Project, per Flood’s father’s request, reads an announcement on The Hill’s Facebook page.Friends and family set up a fundraising site at healthdonor.com in Flood’s memory, to raise money for his family’s funeral costs and other expenses.“He was a father, a friend, a son, and a veteran. John dedicated his life to protecting others. We will cherish the memories we have of John forever,” reads a message on the website from Flood’s friends Michael White and Michael Guizar.Flood’s parents, Paul and Pamela Flood, added the following message to the fundraising website: “Johnathan’s mother and I want to thank you for your expressions of respect, friendship, and love for our son at this sad time. As Christians, we believe that anyone who believes in Jesus and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior will someday join him in Heaven. We know that we will see Johnathan again. Thank you again for remembering our son in this way.”The fundraising website is located at healthdonor.com/campaigns/johnathansfund/.Anyone with information about the May 20 incident can call MHPD at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.

On a warm spring afternoon 22 years ago, my dad and I sat chatting on the lawn outside a clinic where my mother, who suffered from early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, was having an MRI. My dad had been her caregiver for nearly 10 years. During a lull in our conversation, he took his worn leather wallet from his pocket and, from between two old photographs, he pulled out a lock of hair. “I think it’s time I told you about Helen…” he began.

The city’s experiment to determine the traffic calming effectiveness of a one-lane Monterey Road through downtown Morgan Hill will continue until at least August.

Drunk in publicFour juveniles—two males and two females—were seen drinking alcohol outside CineLux theater, at 750 Tennant Station, according to police reports. The incident was reported 11:16 p.m. May 9. DisturbanceAn elderly man in a wheelchair was screaming at Starbucks employees and trying to get behind the counter at the coffee chain’s 251 Vineyard Town Center location, according to police. The man was asked several times to leave but refused. The disturbance was reported 2:15 p.m. May 12.A man about 25 years old with a shaved head was walking in traffic at Monterey Road and Main Avenue, challenging people to fight and displaying obscene hand gestures at vehicles, according to police reports. The incident was reported about 8 p.m. May 15. Auto burglaryA thief or thieves broke a window on a Ford Flex parked at Target, 1061 Cochrane Road, and removed a backpack from the vehicle. The backpack was found underneath the vehicle, according to police reports. The theft was reported 6:20 p.m. May 12.Petty theftSomeone driving an older model Dodge long-bed pickup stole two rolls of fence wiring from a farm on Olive Drive, according to police. The crime was reported 8:37 p.m. May 16. Stolen vehicleA silver 1997 Honda Civic was stolen from an undisclosed location in Morgan Hill, according to police reports. The theft was reported 7:54 a.m. May 17.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

A San Jose man allegedly killed a male victim during a fight at a downtown Morgan Hill bar early in the morning May 20.Morgan Hill police arrested Joseph Haley, 32 of San Jose, at about 10:15 a.m. May 20 on suspicion of homicide in relation to the incident that happened at the M&H Tavern, 17365 Monterey Road, MHPD Sgt. Carson Thomas said. Haley is accused of causing injuries that resulted in the victim’s death, though police declined to specify if any weapons were involved.Officers responded to the Tavern about 1:35 a.m. on a report of a man lying on the ground and bleeding from his head in the back parking lot, Thomas said. Officers located the man who was suffering from “major head trauma.” The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Police determined that the victim and suspect had been involved in a “physical altercation” that resulted in the victim’s death, Thomas said.“Based on witness statements and video surveillance footage (from the Tavern), we determined that (Haley) was involved in the physical altercation, which we believe led to the victim’s death,” Thomas said.Although authorities have not yet released the victim’s name, his employer identified him as John Flood. Flood worked at The Hill restaurant and bar “off and on” for about eight months, according to The Hill owner Dustin Evanger.A sign on The Hill’s door the afternoon of May 20 said the restaurant was closed for the day to observe Flood’s death.However, The Hill, located at 17330 Monterey Road, plans to host a memorial wake for Flood 9 p.m. Thursday, May 21. Staff will pass around a bucket for donations to the Wounded Warrior Project, according to an announcement on The Hill’s Facebook page.M&H Tavern owner Susan Hall expressed her “deepest sympathy” for the family of the victim, whom she does not know.She noted that bar staff and management have cooperated fully with police. The bartender on duty “immediately” called 911 when he heard the commotion and saw the victim on the ground.“We make every effort to keep it a friendly atmosphere so people can have fun,” Hall said.Hall did not know if the victim and suspect had been patronizing the Tavern before the altercation began.The incident is the first homicide in Morgan Hill since June 2013, when Michael Sheppard allegedly killed his live-in girlfriend Bertha Paulson at the Morgan Hill Apartments mobile home complex on the 17800 block of Monterey Road.Anyone with information about the May 20 incident can call MHPD at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.

Police conducted a “high-risk” traffic stop May 18 when they pulled over a motorist who was seen urinating in the middle of a north Morgan Hill intersection, authorities said.Pictures of the incident, which ended when the allegedly drunken motorist finally pulled over at a shop on Church Street, show the suspect’s van surrounded by Morgan Hill Police patrol cars and officers. At least one of the officers had a rifle drawn and pointed at the suspicious van, which contained two occupants. A passerby shot the photos and emailed them to the Times.A witness called police just before 4 p.m. May 18 to report a male adult urinating in a center median at an intersection north of town, according to MHPD Sgt. Carson Thomas. The man entered a work van and drove away, but the witness followed the van to San Pedro Avenue.Officers caught up to the van and attempted to make a traffic stop, but the driver failed to yield while continuing at slow speeds, Thomas said. At one point, the driver veered over the center line and clipped a MHPD patrol car.The van stopped at an auto repair shop near the intersection of Church Street and Mast Avenue, which is about a half-mile from the MHPD station. Officers surrounded the vehicle and “initiated a high-risk stop,” Thomas said.The driver, Yrineo Pantoja, 37, was arrested on suspicion of evading police, DUI and driving on a suspended license, police said. The passenger, Walfre Diaz, 39, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication.Anyone with information about the incident can contact MHPD at (408) 779-2101.

A cellphone video circulating on Facebook shows the staff of a local restaurant helping to remove a potentially dangerous passenger from a VTA bus in downtown Morgan Hill.The video, captured during the May 14 incident by an unidentified motorist whose passenger can be heard talking on the phone to a 911 dispatcher, shows Art Nazzal, owner of Mr. Falafel restaurant, using one of his crutches to try to subdue a man who was threatening the driver of the VTA’s “68” bus.Two of Nazzal’s staff members helped, attempting to grab the man and pull him out of the bus. One of the Good Samaritans, William Lawrance, eventually made his way into the bus’s back door and shoved the irritated passenger out onto the street.The three restaurant staffers were standing on Monterey Road next to the bus, near the open front door, during most of the incident depicted on the video.Nazzal said he was just arriving to work at his restaurant, located at 17455 Monterey Road, Thursday afternoon when he heard some commotion aboard the VTA commuter bus, which was stopped in traffic.“I looked over, and this dude was trying to stab the driver,” Nazzal said Friday. “I was yelling at him, and telling him to get off the bus.”The man then grabbed a handheld window-cleaning squeegee and threw it at Nazzal, who responded by hitting the suspect with one of his crutches.After Lawrance went into the VTA bus via the back door, the suspect grabbed a crowbar stored on the bus to pry open door and windows during emergencies, and threatened to use it as a weapon, Nazzal explained.“My employee shoved him off the bus,” Nazzal said.The video then shows the passenger running south on Monterey Road with an object in his hand.Morgan Hill Police Capt. Jerry Neumayer said officers caught up with the suspect a few minutes later. The man, who police have not yet identified, was detained for a mental health evaluation but was not charged with a crime.“We didn’t want anybody to get hurt,” Nazzal said. “We were just trying to help the (driver).”