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Morgan Hill
March 8, 2026

Farmer’s Casserole

Plan ahead for your weekend brunch with this delicious Farmer's Casserole recipe.  You'll enjoy this hearty combination of meat, cheese, eggs and a little bit of spice with some jalapenos.  You can also prepare this recipe the night before and let it chill till you are ready to pop it in the oven.

South County Catholic High School gets new life

Plans for a new Catholic high school for southern Santa Clara County, first proposed 14 years ago, gained new life on Sept. 5, when the Morgan Hill City Council revisited a plan to annex the proposed school site southeast of the city.

County asks community to ‘Give a Day to Democracy’ Nov. 6

Lady Liberty is coming to town; you might spot her on the side of the bus or in your daily newspaper, beckoning you to “Give a Day to Democracy.”

UPDATED: Three arrested in relation to Friday night stabbing

Morgan Hill Police arrested three young men who stabbed a 16-year-old boy in the area of Tennant Avenue and Church Street Friday night, according to authorities.About 10:40pm Sept. 7, officers were dispatched to the area of the south Morgan Hill intersection to investigate a report of a person stabbed, reads a Sept. 10 press release from Morgan Hill Police Department. Officers arrived to the area but did not locate a victim or witnesses.Several minutes later, Morgan Hill Police communications received a phone call from a local hospital, advising that a 16-year-old stabbing victim had been dropped off and was receiving medical attention, police said. Officers learned the victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his back and was in critical condition.Through the investigation, officers developed information leading them to a suspect and vehicle description, police said. About 7:16pm Sept. 8, an officer on patrol recognized the suspect’s vehicle and conducted an enforcement stop.The 17-year-old male driver of the vehicle was identified as being involved in the previous night’s altercation and stabbing, according to police.The continuing investigation also led to the identity of another involved subject, Roman Yerkovich, 19, of Morgan Hill, according to authorities. Yerkovich later turned himself in at the Morgan Hill Police Department.Police then identified yet a third suspect, Luis Pineda, 19, of Morgan Hill. Officers arrested Pineda at his home the afternoon of Sept. 10, the police department announced in a follow-up press release.Yerkovich was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of attempted homicide and conspiracy, police said. The male juvenile suspect was booked at Juvenile Hall, also on suspicion of attempted homicide and conspiracy. Police are not releasing the 17-year-old suspect’s name because he is a juvenile.The victim remained in the hospital in serious condition as of Sept. 10, according to police.Anyone with information about the stabbing can call MHPD Detective Fernando Del Moral at (408) 779-2101.

Saint Louise owner seeks Chap. 11 protection

The owners of Saint Louise Regional Hospital today filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 to “reorganize and facilitate an orderly and efficient sale process.”

New candidate enters TA4 school board race

A new candidate has joined the Morgan Hill Unified School District’s Trustee Area 4 race, after being qualified by the election officers upon filing on the very last day of the candidate extension period.

He trains all dogs

To Mike Jones, training a dog can be easy, but the owners can be a different story.Jones is the owner of Primal Canine in Morgan Hill, and he has built an expanding dog training business that trains police, military and personal dogs.His love of dogs which goes back to his childhood in East San Jose, and a focused work ethic has propelled him to Morgan Hill. It hasn't been without challenges. Recently, Jones has worked to release a documentary, “Pack Life,” on Netflix, he’s had to defend his company against accusations of animal abuse, and he’s doing it all despite a recent diagnosis of stomach cancer.“Dogs are easy; people are hard,” Jones said.One of the first things that stands out when you meet Jones, 34, are his tattoos. A cursive 'Ivy' tattoo, his daughter’s name, is above his left brow. Among a sea of tattoos on both of his arms and hands is a picture of his dog Bear, a pit bull mix Jones adopted from a shelter. Beneath his left ear, there's a red letter P for “Primal,” the same design he uses for the company's logo.There's a bit of resemblance between Jones and Primal's mascot ,Bear. Both Jones and Bear can be misunderstood at first glance. Whatever kind of tough guy persona one may assume is shed quickly as he interacts with a 15-pound Shih-Tzu, Nova. There's an instant connection between Jones and Nova. Nova doesn't judge a person based on appearance, and that's one of the reason's Jones loves dogs.Jones worked through that misconception in May when his training was under scrutiny.Late in May, a passing driver on Hwy 101 saw dogs undergoing police dog training at Primal Canine's fenced-in outdoor training facility near the highway. The witness called the Morgan Hill Police Department to report animal abuse and posted her allegations of abuse online. Local police investigated the report and found no evidence of any wrongdoing.“She just wasn't used to the work we do,” Jones said. “It was actually a good thing. It was an opportunity to let the community know us."For Jones, each dog has its own personality, and each dog responds to training differently. His flexible style of training also helps him to work with the dog's owners, because training can be wasted by owners who choose not to be consistent with their dogs.Jones demonstrates the power of his training with one of his dogs, Malice, a Belgian Malamute. It's as if Jones presses a button in Malice's brain. With every command, "Sitz," for sit, "Platz" lay down, Malice obeys immediately. Jones walks Malice around the room, commanding the dog's motion with every step as Malice weaves between his legs, around in a circle, back and forth.With every second of instruction, Malice appears to be in heaven. His eyes are bright, tongue hanging out of his grinning mouth. Obedience is fun for the dog, who works best when it's working.Jones also trains police dogs for about $20,000 a canine. The proof is in action, and folks who don’t know what was happening might get the wrong impression. To demonstrate a police dog in action, Jones gets some help from one of his apprentice trainers, Matt Jaramillo. For the demonstration, Jaramillo puts on a full-body padded bite suit that makes him look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. He needs it because even with the suit, it can still hurt."It's not so bad," Jaramillo said as he showed off some bruises and teeth marks.Malice attacks on command. The Belgian Malamute locks its teeth around Jaramillo's arm like a bear trap. On Jones' command, Malice lets go and returns to his side, wagging his tail as he sits. There are no hard feelings between Malice and Jaramillo; it's just a day on the job.Since his childhood in East San Jose, Jones said he has  often felt closer to dogs than he does humans. Dogs are predictable. They are genuine, with no guile or hidden agendas. They're loyal, loving, and they know when something is wrong.His life will soon be an open book after “Pack Life” is released on Netflix."It should be out in September after it passes legal," Jones said. “It’s kind of scary. I get bit for a living, and when I was wearing a suit at the premiere at the Grenada, it was worse than being in the bite suit.“It's five years of your life; then you watch it on screen."Jones now owns three Primal Canine locations in Morgan Hill, San Diego and Minneapolis. He manages 10 employees between the three sites. This has become especially taxing since his diagnosis of stomach cancer.Jones’ illness has not kept him from work. He has eschewed traditional treatments to instead focus on holistic methods so he can continue with his work.

Cannabis vote will test public support

The cannabis business may come to Morgan Hill soon, but before it does, the voters of Morgan Hill will have their say, even if it’s indirect.In July the Morgan Hill City Council voted to place Measure I on the Nov. 6 ballot, giving the city's voters the choice to put a tax on the cannabis industry—if and when the city decides to allow the cannabis industry to operate with the city.“(Morgan Hill's city council has) not yet decided if they want cannabis-related activities in Morgan Hill,” Morgan Hill Communications and Engagement Manager Maureen Tobin said. “They first want to see if the community would want to tax cannabis.”The city council will use Measure I to gauge whether the citizens of Morgan Hill are willing to bring cannabis to town. As of now, no cannabis business—recreational, medical or otherwise—is legal in Morgan Hill. However, even if Measure I passed, the city council may still decide to keep cannabis activities out of Morgan Hill.Proposition 64, a state law passed in 2016, made recreational and commercial marijuana legal for individuals, but it also left the decision whether or not to allow the sale or production of cannabis up to local municipalities. The November vote will determine a maximum tax rate on cannabis operations. While the city still works to decide what that rate will be, Measure I will determine the maximum rates of the potential tax: $15 per square foot for cultivation, and 10 percent on gross sales.  Voters in nearby unincorporated San Benito County recently passed a similar ballot measure, Measure C, with 58 percent of the vote. The San Benito County Board of Supervisors used Measure C as a litmus test to gauge whether residents wanted commercial cannabis. Now the San Benito supervisors are working with Hdl Companies to draft plans for a commercial cannabis rollout in the county, including creating a separate county department to manage cannabis business.The Morgan Hill City Council has also hired Hdl Companies to assist with its potential cannabis future. Hdl, a consulting company, based in Southern California, specializes in helping local governments craft cannabis laws and administrative bodies.  On Feb. 7 the Morgan Hill City Council approved a community survey to gauge support for recreational and commercial cannabis. The results were split. For retail sales, 48.3 percent of respondents were in favor while 48.1 percent were opposed. Medical cannabis was more popular, with 61.3 percent supportive and 36.7 percent opposed. San Mateo-based Godbe Research conducted the survey. Morgan Hill voters supported Proposition 64 by about 58 percent. “If our voters would not support such a special cannabis business tax, I won’t be in support of cannabis-related business in our city either, as it only would lead to additional costs with no additional tax money coming in from those businesses to offset those costs and add additional tax income for the city on top of that,” Morgan Hill Councilmember Rene Spring said in February.

Updated: These are the 2018 school board candidates

Eighteen candidates are in the mix for eight local races on the Morgan Hill Unified School District, Santa Clara County Office of Education and Gavilan College Joint District Board of Trustees in the Nov. 6 election.

Orange Crescent Swirls

Sweeten up your morning with this recipe for Orange Crescent Swirls.  Orange glaze drizzled over crescent roll dough then baked to perfection is exactly what your tastebuds are craving.  

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