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The City of Morgan Hill is moving ahead to purchase the property at 17545 Depot Street for $925,000. The eventual intention of the city is to demolish the building and used the combined area, along with the cleared lot at 85 East First Street, to construct an affordable housing project.

BookSmart wrote its final chapter. But wait, there's more.

Lost property

Uvas Canyon County Park has reopened after heavy rains last winter forced its closure for more than a year, and reservations for parking are now required on weekends and holidays, according to authorities.

Driving while texting or talking on a hand-held phone is dangerous. That’s the message that Morgan Hill Police and other law enforcement agencies hope to get across throughout the month of April, which is recognized as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

What do you get when you combine the Easter Bunny, kids, dogs, and a charity whose mission is to train service dogs to assist veterans in need? The result was Operation Freedom Paws'  Annual Easter Egg Hunt, where for $5 kids and parents had good wholesome fun on a perfect Spring day, while helping to match service dogs with veterans.

The announcement this week from China that it intends to impose retaliatory tariffs on 128 U.S. products sent shock waves across U.S. agriculture, especially in California.

The family of Tara Romero, a local teen who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in 2011, and the residents of Morgan Hill are nearing the home stretch in their commitment to bring a life-size bronze sculpture of her likeness to a prominent public location.The City of Morgan Hill recently established a fundraising campaign at gofundme.com to fund the remaining expenses to complete the statue of Romero and transport it from southern California. The goal of the campaign is to raise $10,000, specifically for statue refinements, a cement base, plaque, transportation and installation, according to the fundraising page found at gofundme.com/tara-romero-memorial-sculpture.When the artwork is complete, it will be placed at “a central location” in the public pedestrian plaza between City Hall and the Morgan Hill Library, on the west side of town in the area of Peak, Alkire and West Main avenues, according to city staff.While the statue, titled “Never Forgotten,” is created and commissioned to depict a young girl in Romero’s likeness, it will also represent the many other young lives taken too soon by violence, according to her parents and others in the community who united in response to the 2011 shooting. It will also serve as an inspirational symbol of hope, peace and unity for young people growing up in Morgan Hill, according to city officials.“With the (ongoing) movement against violence, it’s time for young people to make their voices heard,” said Lisa Washington, who sits on a Library, Culture and Arts commission subcommittee for the gofundme campaign. “The timing is there, and the city is behind it. It’s meant to be uplifting.”The Morgan Hill City Council approved the placement of the statue as a public art piece in 2012, but did not dedicate public funds to the project. In the years since Romero’s death, her family has paid more than $22,000 to Los Angeles-based artist Dee Spellerman to create the sculpture.Romero’s father, Joseph Romero, a Fresno resident, said the statue is mostly finished. The artwork is about six feet tall, depicting a young girl gazing up at El Toro mountain above City Hall, with her right hand stretched upward and lifting a butterfly. Joseph is getting ready to create a plaque that will be attached to the base of the statue, describing why it is there.The parents continue to struggle with their daughter’s death, as the criminal proceedings against one of the five men accused of killing her continues to drag through the courts, and another acquitted in a 2016 trial. Romero’s mother, Annette Nevarez, of Morgan Hill, said the statue will offer her a place to sit and reflect.“My life has been on hold,” Nevarez said. “I feel like she’s there with me. (The statue) will be a place where I can go sit down and see her. I’ll be a lot happier. She was such a good little girl.”Romero was a 14-year-old freshman at Sobrato High School when she died in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues on Nov. 4, 2011. The shooting took place just outside the Village Avante apartment complex, less than one mile south of the statue’s proposed location.The shooting happened when five men in a Chrysler drove by the intersection and opened fire on a group of teens standing in a grassy area on the corner. Romero was pronounced dead at the scene, and three of her friends and classmates at Sobrato were injured by the gunfire.Police said the suspects were members of an illegal street gang, and fired at the victims thinking they were members of a rival gang with whom they had been feuding in the preceding weeks. The teen victims had no history of involvement in any gang activity.Morgan Hill Police surrounded the suspects inside a nearby residence within minutes after the shooting, and arrested them a few hours later after convincing them to surrender.Three of the suspects have been convicted of murder and attempted murder in relation to the drive-by shooting that took Tara Romero’s life. One was acquitted of all charges following a lengthy jury trial in 2016. The fifth suspect has been ruled not competent to stand trial, and remains in custody at a state mental hospital until he is well enough to face the charges against him.Joseph Romero added that for him, the statue will be a place he can visit and “lay a flower there and memorialize Tara.” For the community at large, it’s a reminder that such a violent death “could happen to anybody.”As of April 3, the gofundme site for the Never Forgotten statue has raised just over $1,500. The city’s LCAC formed a subcommittee to organize the effort and encourage residents, civic organizations, community leaders and businesses to contribute to the cause.   The subcommittee consists of Washington, Tara’s brother Joey Romero (also an artist), Morgan Hill Community Services Supervisor Jennie Tucker, Community Services Director Chris Ghione, as well as LCAC commissioners Paul Lake, Katie Khera and Daniel Redfield.Washington’s daughter, Tyler, was one of Tara Romero’s best friends.“During this season of renewal and fresh beginnings, it’s a perfect time to support Tara’s family in their desire to memorialize her young life, and to creatively express the right of ‘everyone’s child’ to envision and achieve their dreams in a peaceful, nonviolent community,” Lake said. “With your contributions, we’ll be able to officially unveil the sculpture in the coming weeks alongside members of the Morgan Hill City Council.”

AccidentA gray BMW SUV collided with the side of a residential building at 310 E. Dunne Ave. The accident was reported 2:51pm March 22.A silver pickup truck drove off the road and onto the property of a residence, coming to a stop after becoming stuck on a retaining wall. The accident happened in the area of La Crosse Drive and La Bella Court. It was reported 6:22pm March 26.A Nissan Altima collided with a bicyclist in the area of Burnett Avenue and Monterey Road, resulting in minor injuries to the cyclist. The accident was reported 6:59pm March 27.Suspicious personA witness called police to report that a man was walking along the railroad tracks I the area of Saint Agatha Lane and Diana Avenue, with his pants pulled down below his buttocks. An officer contacted the man, who “agreed to move along and keep his pants up.” The incident was reported 6:35pm March 22.BatteryAn employee of Saint Louise Regional Hospital called police to report a patient was receiving treatment after being assaulted by two suspects at Gavilan College, at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road. The victim suffered busted teeth and facial injuries. The crime was reported 9:22pm March 22.A Safeway employee was “jumped” by three unknown suspects in the parking lot of the store at 235 Tennant Station Way. The battery was reported 11:04pm March 23.Petty theftA thief stole two television sets worth about $400 from Target, 1061 Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 12:15pm March 27.A female suspect stole hair spray and other beauty items from Safeway, 840 E. Dunne Ave. The crime was reported 12:15am March 28.Someone stole a backpack that a customer accidentally left at Burger King, 1107 Cochrane Road. Inside the backpack were four French passports, four ID cards from Mexico, four L.A. Lakers tickets, four tickets to Universal Studios in Los Angeles and one credit card. The theft was reported 10:16am March 28.A customer of DSW, 1015 Cochrane Road, stole two pairs of shoes from the store and left the area in a silver Honda. The theft was reported 5:33pm March 24.A suspect stole two Fitbit devices, worth about $300 each, from Target, 1061 Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 9:25pm March 25.A thief stole two bottles of alcohol from Safeway, 235 Tennant Station Way. The crime was reported 7:17am March 26.Narcotics complaintAn employee of Ross Dress For Less, 16955 Monterey Road, complained that two customers inside the store were acting suspiciously. One of the male customers, who was in a wheelchair, was seen carrying a gun in his pocket. The incident was reported 2:03pm March 28. FraudA thief or thieves used a victim’s debit card number to make a purchase for about $1,230, plus $40 cash back at Rite Aid, 16000 Monterey Road. The fraud was reported 11:50am March 26.TheftSomeone stole a gas leaf blower and electric compressor from an unlocked shed at Woodland Estates, on the 100 block of Walnut Drive. The crime was reported 12:15pm March 23.BurglaryA resident of Murphy Court returned home to find the residence ransacked and a truck missing. A door into the garage was open. The crime was reported 2:19pm March 23.A resident of Tarragon Avenue returned home to find the residence burglarized. The burglar or burglars ransacked the home. The burglary was reported 5:37pm March 23.FightA male customer of the Metro PCS store at 16415 Monterey Road got into a fight with employees of the store. The fight was reported 5:19pm March 23.At least four males were fighting in the rear parking lot of the M&H Tavern, 17365 Monterey Road. The subjects had been celebrating a 21st birthday party. One of the fighters’ mother arrived to take them home. The fight was reported 12:07am March 25.Stolen vehicleSomeone stole a black Honda Civic from an apartment complex on the 100 block of Cosmo Avenue. The crime was reported 3:15pm March 24.Auto burglarySomeone smashed the window of a blue Honda on the 200 block of Burnett Avenue. The victim said two other vehicles on the same street appeared to have been broken into. The crime was reported 3:06pm March 25.A thief or thieves broke into a Ford F250 in the parking lot of 24 Hour Fitness, 850 Tennant Station Way, and stole a credit card and $100 cash. The credit card was later used at a Best Buy store. The burglary was reported 3:35pm March 29.Grand theftA thief or thieves stole outdoor playground equipment from Trinity Bible Church, 16100 Caputo Drive. The approximate value of the stolen items was $2,000. The crime was reported 5:06pm March 25.Domestic incidentA female resident of Thomas Grade Avenue told police that her husband had spread gasoline all over the interior of the house, and poured gasoline on her leg. No injuries resulted, and the man was arrested. The incident was reported 7:07pm March 25.Animal controlA dog that lives on the 2900 block of Bent Oak Lane was bitten by the neighbor’s dog, and it was the second time it has happened since summer 2017. The victim dog suffered two large puncture holes in the latest incident, which was reported 6:22pm March 28.A resident of the area of Oak Canyon and Jackson Oaks drive saw a large mountain lion disappear into the bushes, just outside a public works substation near the road. The predator sighting was reported 10:57am March 20.VandalismSomeone ripped the door to a small utility room on the 15500 block of Monterey Road off its hinges. The crime was reported 9:57am March 29.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.