The following people, organizations and events deserve either a
thumbs up or thumbs down this week:
THUMBS UP: Eighty-four years and running, the San Benito County Fair kicked off Friday and runs through Sunday. The pride-filled tradition continues to be a family staple at Bolado Park, and we urge residents to attend the event again this year for a taste of fair food, activities and amusement rides. Of course, the heart of the county fair is the youth activities of 4-H and Future Farmers of America. But there are also many other attractions throughout the weekend, such as a wine tasting, a hypnotist, music, arm wrestling and the always popular demolition derby Sunday.
THUMBS DOWN: Two dogs terrorized the Swank Farms “goat walk” Tuesday morning by killing eight of the farm animals and injuring another six. One of the dogs climbed on hay bales over a six-foot fence and attacked the goats. When Swank workers rushed to the scene, the other dog tried to attack them, too, before a ranch foreman shot and killed the canines. Though it’s not surprising one of the dogs was part pit bull, this story is mostly a knock on irresponsible pet owners who allow such potentially vicious dogs to roam free, in this case an especially neglectful oversight because they did so near livestock, which is unlawful, and ultimately killed many animals. Related laws to protect animals and people are in place for good reason, and if the dog owner is found he or she should be prosecuted for the attacks.
THUMBS UP: Local high schools recently added a second school resource officer, deputy Terri Edwards, to help keep the local learning environments as safe as possible. Considering the size of San Benito High School and the growing presence of gangs in younger age groups, the additional cop is well worth the investment and should serve to help keep crime down at the schools, especially at SBHS and San Andreas School where they split their time.
THUMBS DOWN: San Juan Bautista schoolteacher Margaret Pavese was charged this week in connection with starting the Lick Fire because she left an illegal burn barrel full of paper plates unattended outside her hillside cabin near Henry Coe State Park. Authorities rightfully charged her with a misdemeanor that could land her in jail for up to six months. Authorities also should pursue as much of the $12.5 million firefighting cost as possible to help ease the burden with which taxpayers have been left.
THUMBS DOWN: It turns out the Aromas/San Juan School District did not just have a moral obligation to conduct an environmental review of a six-acre plot before starting construction on a group of sports fields. It had a legal one, too, as pointed out by the state Office of Historic Preservation in a letter. We can only hope historic artifacts haven’t been destroyed by not doing so. Meanwhile, the district has appropriately commissioned an archeologist to watch over the digging when it happens.
