The following events, organizations and people deserve either a
Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down this week:
THUMBS UP: Final preparations are in order for the opening of the Emmaus House, a shelter for women and children who have suffered abuse. The shelter has been in the works since 1995 and will become a reality, with a dedication and open house on Sunday from 2-4pm. The public is welcome to attend the opening; the Emmaus House is located at the corner of Valley View and Sunnyslope roads. The house still needs some volunteers, so interested parties should call 636-7224 if they’d like to help out.
THUMBS DOWN: The playground equipment at John Z. Hernandez Park on the west side of Hollister badly needs an upgrade. The metal slides look like something out of the 1950s and the sand is not something you would want your children to build castles out of. Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz is proposing an upgrade and we’re all for it. If better equipment and grounds will bring out neighborhood kids and their families for good, clean fun, the entire community wins.
THUMBS UP: The San Benito County Fair provided a rarity: a down-home fair without the slickness of more common large fairs. Organizers and volunteers pulled off a smooth event that welcomed everyone in the county and brought friends and neighbors together. Look for a special section in the Free Lance next Wednesday that will feature winners from all the fair competitions.
THUMBS UP: To the Dual Immersion program at San Juan School. Kindergarten students are taught for fluency in both English and Spanish. Regular state standards for kindergarten are taught in the class with the goal that by the time students are in the fifth grade, the class will be 50/50 in fluency. It is an ambitious goal, but the immediate benefit of promoting interaction between English- and Spanish-speaking children will be of great benefit socially for everyone.
THUMBS DOWN: Breaking into ATMs is no longer enough. Now robbers are using forklifts to steal entire machines. It has happened 21 times this year in the Phoenix area alone. The payoff varies, from a few hundred dollars to thousands. Security officers say it is hardly worth the trouble to go to such lengths, but when has that stopped small-time crooks?
THUMBS UP: Local debate over Measure S in Hollister has begun to pick up following somewhat of a lull, and it is good to see this upswing in citizens participating in the democratic process. The measure proposes a change in the city’s general plan that would allow Pulte Homes/Del Webb to pursue building a senior housing development that could reach 4,400 homes. We hope residents take an interest in the measure, enough to study the situation and make an informed vote.
