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Morgan Hill will soon be buzzing with giggles and laughter as kids of all ages will enjoy the new campus of Genius Kids, scheduled to open March 3 at 174 W. Main Ave. in Morgan Hill. Formerly the old post office, the red “barn” is now the home to the national franchise Genius Kids, which boasts 11 campuses in the Bay Area and growing. Kamal Gill, a resident of Morgan Hill, and her son Rohan Gill are excited on their new business venture and franchise. They have spent the last three months decorating and modifying the facility. The center will focus on infants, toddlers, preschoolers and transitional and enrichment kindergartners. Pickup from local schools for after school for grades kindergarten through fifth-grade will be offered.

Monday’s trial date for four of the five suspects accused of killing Morgan Hill teen Tara Romero in a Nov. 4, 2011 drive-by shooting was continued, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Peter Waite. The new trial date for Fernando Mateo Lopez, 21 of Gilroy; Ricardo Diaz, 20 of Morgan Hill; Esmeling Bahena, 19 of Morgan Hill; and Primitivo Hernandez, 24 of San Jose was rescheduled for an April 1 trial date at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, Waite said. The fifth suspect, Ramon Gutierrez, 18 of Morgan Hill, was found incompetent to stand trial for the charges against him at a hearing earlier this year, and remains in a mental hospital for treatment until he is able to face the charges, authorities said. The five suspects are charged with murder and five counts of attempted murder for their alleged involvement in the Feb. 4, 2011 drive-by shooting near the intersection of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues. They are also charged with special enhancements for carrying out the crime for a criminal street gang, according to authorities. Romero, a 14-year-old freshman at Sobrato High School, was killed in the incident. Three of her friends and former classmates were also shot and injured during the attack which took place while the teens were standing outside the Village Avante apartment complex awaiting a ride home. The teens had been out celebrating the birthday of another teen friend who was standing with them when a Chrysler 300 occupied by the five suspects drove slowly through the intersection and opened fire without stopping, according to authorities. The five suspects - identified by police as associates of the Sureno street gang - were arrested just hours after the drive-by shooting, police said.All five suspects have been in custody in Santa Clara County Jail since their arrest. During a preliminary hearing in June 2013 at the Hall of Justice, Morgan Hill officers testified Bahena, Gutierrez and Diaz told police after their arrest that on the night of Nov. 4, 2011, all five suspects were traveling together in the Chrysler when someone in the vehicle opened fire on the group of teens standing on the corner of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues.Those three suspects denied pulling the trigger, and insisted they did not go out that night planning to shoot anybody, officers testified.They also told officers that the shooting might have been the result of an ongoing “beef” with rival Norteno gang members at the Village Avante apartment complex. This feud, which started weeks before the incident that led to Romero’s death, included incidents of vandalism and even an Oct. 31, 2011 drive-by shooting outside the apartments that did not result in any deaths or injuries. The victims in the Nov. 4, 2011 shooting were not involved in any gang activity, and were likely mistakenly targeted by the five suspects, police said. 

DEAR ABBY: I'd like to tell your readers about a wonderful program I discovered about a year ago. It's called Overeaters Anonymous (OA). The program is similar to AA, but it's for people with an eating problem.

It’s almost too easy to drive a car these days. Everybody used to have to drive a manual transmission, coordinating the clutch, gas, and brake pedals in addition to the gear shift: you had to pay attention. And before power steering became a standard feature, drivers were forced to keep their hands at “10” and “2” because you had to actually steer the car and hold on with an iron grip or the lousy shocks and bumpy roads would tear the steering wheel out of your hand. But today, it’s child’s play to handle thousands of pounds of steel and horsepower with a single hand—even no hands at all if you prop your elbows just right so that your fingers can manipulate the keyboard on your cell phone. Once you get it down, driving a car is super easy; the hardest thing these days is learning how far you need to reach to hit the cup holder without looking. These days there aren’t enough distractions involved with driving the car; therefore, many people occupy their free time at the wheel by manipulating their own distractions.

The second half of this week will feature “soaking rain and mountain snow returning to drought-stricken California,” according to a recent report from AccuWeather.com.

Police arrested a man early Sunday morning who allegedly hit another man in the head with a shovel following a drunken altercation, according to authorities. Morgan Hill police responded to the 90 block of Bisceglia Avenue about 12:15 a.m. Sunday and located the adult male victim who had been struck in the face and head with a shovel, according to a press release from MHPD. The victim was transported to San Jose Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Officers canvassed the south Morgan Hill neighborhood and gained information from a witness that led to the arrest of Juan Martinez, 24 of Morgan Hill. Martinez had been hiding on the roof a nearby residence, police said. During the investigation police determined that Martinez and the victim had gotten into a physical altercation after a night of “heavy drinking,” authorities said. Martinez was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, police said. Anyone with information about this incident can contact MHPD at (408) 779-2101, or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867. 

Have you seen this message? It is showing up on electronic freeway signs across the state including on Highway 101 in Morgan Hill and on Interstate 880 in Milpitas. A daily commute reminder is a great way to encourage Californians to be mindful of our water use during this drought.

The Gilroy Police Department responded to an attempted murder and domestic violence incident at approximately 11:54 p.m. Saturday near the 8000 block of Church Street, according to GPD Sgt. Pedro Espinoza.

DEAR ABBY: Can you be sexually harassed/abused by your spouse? My husband talks dirty to me and grabs at my breasts. I have repeatedly asked him to stop, but he doesn't listen and continues to do it. We have two small kids at home, and by the time they go to bed, I could care less about being intimate.

DEAR ABBY: When my son was 17, he met an "older girl" who was 21 and began an on-again, off-again relationship with her. Fast-forward two years: He now has a felony and several misdemeanors for fighting with her, and they have a wonderful little baby boy whom neither can take care of. I have been supporting the child.