News briefs: 'Deadliest Catch' star to visit Poppy's
Jun 19, 2008 - Staff Reports
'Deadliest Catch' star to visit Poppy's
Captain Phil Harris, who steers the crab boat "Cornelia Marie" through the troubled waters of the Bering Sea on the Discovery Channel reality show "Deadliest Catch," will visit Poppy's Fish, Poultry & More, 30 E. Third Street, on Friday night from 6-10 p.m. This Morgan Hill visit is the only Northern California stop for the captain, who lives in Seattle when he is not at sea.
Morgan Hill Library celebrates its first anniversary
The Morgan Hill Library will celebrate its first anniversary with a birthday party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 19.
Events at the library, located at 660 West Main Ave., include a puppet show for kids at 10:30 a.m., story time for adults and others at 1 p.m. and a "Guitar Hero" tournament for teens at 2 p.m. There will also be an unveiling of two new robot sculptures in the children's area at 11:30 a.m. And there will be birthday cake for all.
Other activities include a poster contest for kids ages 3-15, posters due July 15, and the opportunity to buy a gift for the library by purchasing a commemorative bookplate. The party is sponsored by the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library.
Tourney to benefit scholarship fund
The Morgan Hill Police Officers Association is starting a tradition Saturday to benefit its scholarship fund.
The nonprofit is hosting its first annual public safety softball tournament, "The Battle of the Badges." All proceeds will benefit the Morgan Hill Police Officers Association Scholarship Fund.
Games will begin at 8 a.m. at Community Park with teams from public safety agencies from Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties along with non-public safety teams.
The event is open to the public. Donations are appreciated but not required, and commemorative T-shirts will be sold. The highly anticipated event will assist local teens with academic scholarships and families during times of need. The event is made possible by the generosity of area public safety officials and the many local citizens who donate and attend the "Battle of the Badges."
Humane Society adoption party
Humane Society Silicon Valley is holding a "Pets in Paradise Adoption Fair" 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 21 at the society's office, 2530 Lafayette St., Santa Clara.
The organization has 180 kittens in foster care and needs to find homes for them. More foster parents are also needed.
Relay this July
Morgan Hill residents are preparing for the seventh American Cancer Society Relay For Life. The team captains are already busy recruiting team mates and raising money. The Relay will be July 19-20 at Community Park.
Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society's signature event, dedicated to increasing awareness and raising funds to fight cancer. Teams of families, friends and co-workers camp out overnight taking turns walking the track.
During the event participants and visitors will have the chance to celebrate the victory of local cancer survivors during the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 19; remember those who have died of cancer during the Luminaria Ceremony at 9:30 p.m. Saturday evening and participate in the new Fight Back ceremony at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Donations can be made by visiting relayforlife.org.
Details: Linda Roma, 778-1370
Second Harvest receives four-star rating for fiscal management
Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator, has once again given Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties a 4-star rating, the highest available, for the organization's sound fiscal management.
Only 17 percent of the charities evaluated have received at least two consecutive 4-star evaluations.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is a private non-profit organization that acquires and distributes more than 31 million pounds of food annually. Through their network of more than 400 community-based, non-profit organizations operating food assistance programs at 821 distribution sites, they currently serve an average of 163,000 people each month, the majority of whom are low income families and senior citizens.
Supes OK drug take-back program
Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager's effort to establish the county's new sharps and drug take-back program was approved at the Board of Supervisor's meeting on June 11. The Board authorized the County Department of Environmental Health and the Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System to enhance their programs to take back sharps and drugs from the public. These departments will also increase outreach efforts to notify the community of the newly available resources.
In June 2007, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 1305. The law takes effect Sept. 1 and will prohibit the disposal of hypodermic needles in household trash and will require residents to properly dispose of sharps at designated facilities.
The California Legislature passed a bill last year as a first step toward requiring governmental agencies to develop drug take-back programs.
A drug take-back program will prevent drugs from contaminating the water supply and could help prevent dosage errors by encouraging residents to clean out unwanted or expired prescription from medicine cabinets. Getting rid of unused pills will likely reduce recreational pharmaceutical drug abuse by teenagers and adults.
The county will also work with local pharmacies, hospitals, medical groups and other important stakeholders to insure that the community has a way to appropriately dispose of unwanted sharps and drugs.
Second Harvest receives 4-star rating for fiscal management
Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator, has once again given Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties a 4-star rating, the highest available, for the organization's sound fiscal management.
Only 17 percent of the charities evaluated have received at least two consecutive 4-star evaluations.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is a private non-profit organization that acquires and distributes more than 31 million pounds of food annually. Through their network of more than 400 community-based, non-profit organizations operating food assistance programs at 821 distribution sites, they currently serve an average of 163,000 people each month, the majority of whom are low income families and senior citizens.
Board to put bond measure on November ballot
The County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve an ordinance to place a ballot measure before voters in November requesting authorization for the county to issue $840 million in general obligation bonds to fund the first phase of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's Seismic Safety Project and to provide a funding mechanism to help replace medical facilities in or near downtown San Jose that were lost when the San Jose Medical Center closed in 2004.
The majority of the funds, $790 million, would be used to bring the medical center into compliance with the California Seismic Safety Act, which established requirements for hospital seismic safety, and to prevent the closure of 272 patient beds and the Santa Clara Valley Medical trauma and burn center.
Phase one must be completed by 2013-15. At this phase, hospitals must be able to remain standing during an earthquake and occupants able to exit safely. The remaining $50 million will go towards medical facilities in downtown San Jose. The location and precise nature of the replacement facilities is the subject of ongoing studies by the county and the City of San Jose.
The medical center is currently the largest provider of care in Santa Clara County, with one in four residents in the county receiving care at over a four-year period. It is only one of two burn-trauma centers north of Los Angeles and is a high level trauma center for both adults and children; a reduced number of bed would likely force the center to close these services.
The number of patients seeking care at Valley Medical Center has increased 45 percent since 2000, as San Jose Medical Center and other area hospitals stopped accepting Medi-Cal patients. The loss of the additional beds could create a serious void in the healthcare safety net and affect both insured and uninsured patients.
"Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is an essential part of the safety net for everyone who lives in our county," said Board Chair Supervisor Pete McHugh. "Finding a way to bring the hospital into compliance is something we have to do."
The thirty-year measure, which is estimated to add $13.90 per $100,000 in assessed valuation in its first year, and $13.06 annually thereafter would require approval of two-thirds of the county voters. The average home assessed value in the county is $468,000. The average additional cost would be $65.05 the first year and $61.14 for subsequent years.
Local artist's work at the Olympics
Longtime Morgan Hill resident and San Jose State University Professor Emeritus in Art Bob Freimark is well-represented at the Beijing Olympics. His large painting "Isn't it about time for another war?" has been selected by New York Arts magazine to be included in their group show "Prelude" from July 4 through 29 at New York Arts Beijing Gallery.
Freimark's painting represents a decapitated man inverted. It was created at the Walter Bischoff Studios in Stuttagart, Germany, after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
Freimark has been invited to show two of his hand-made prints at Two Lines Gallery in Beijing. The exhibition is dedicated to master prints. Freimark's works include a color lithograph, hand-pulled at Grass Valley Studios in Morgan Hill, called Muenchener Morgen, which won a Purchase Award at the Portland Museum of Art's International Print Exhibition. His second work is a color vitreograph, "Catawba."
Solis Winery wins at Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition
Gilroy's award-winning Solis Winery was successful at the 2008 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, scoring a total of three awards at the internationally acclaimed event.
The Santa Clara Valley winery was honored with a Gold Medal for its 2004 Cara Mia 'Meritage,' a Silver Medal for its 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate, and a Bronze Medal for its 2004 Sangiovese, Estate.
"It's an immense honor for our family winery to be hailed at a competition of such global stature," said winery owner Vic Vanni. "We're pleased to see that wines from our local area are receiving such high recognition, as the Santa Clara Valley has been labeled as the next reputable winemaking region, like Napa or Paso Robles. We hope these tremendous accolades will broaden the reach of our label and bring greater exposure to our exceptional tradition of winemaking."
In its 69th year, the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition is one of the most prominent contests in the United States. A total of 3,789 wines were entered in the 2008 competition from 16 different countries around the world. .
Solis Winery's award-winning wines are available locally. Guests are encouraged to sample them by visiting the winery's tasting room, located at 3920 Hecker Pass in Gilroy. To learn more, visit www.soliswinery.com.
Solis Winery lies in the heart of Santa Clara Valley's rich wine-growing region. Originally planted by Italian immigrants in the 1920s, the vineyard changed hands in 1980 when the Vanni family purchased the land. Since then, the Vannis have continued to marry tradition with modern technology and art with innovation to produce award-winning wines.
"Jazz on the Grass" in July
Musicians from San Jose Jazz will perform in Morgan Hill on July 13, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Community and Cultural Center amphitheater. Admission is free for the afternoon of "Jazz on the Grass," a partnership between the Morgan Hill Recreation and Community Services Department and the Morgan Hill Downtown Association.
Residents are encouraged to bring a picnic to enjoy during the concert or to stroll downtown after the concert for a late afternoon meal.
This will be the first time that San Jose Jazz has performed at a Morgan Hill venue. The organization is the producer of the annual Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival and a public benefit corporation dedicated to promoting jazz through performance and education to enrich the lives of people in our community. Proceeds from performances help to support San Jose Jazz's education and outreach programs, including an in-school program that reaches 4,000 school-aged children a year about jazz and innovation while also delivering an anti-tobacco message.
For more information about "Jazz on the Grass," call (408) 782-0008 or visit www.mhcrc.com.
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