pullout inside
2018 SOUTH VALLEY
$1 • Friday, August 24, 2018 • Vol. 124, No. 34 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
High Speed Rail aims to select MH route next year RESIDENTS TO BE NOTIFIED OF PROPERTY AFTER PLAN SELECTION Jaqueline McCool Reporter
Scott Hinrichs
In 2017, Shirley Higdon and her neighbor Diane Holmes realized the High Speed Rail train that had been endorsed by Californians a decade earlier might be running right through their quiet street close to U.S. 101. The two women, along with a small group of neighbors, took to Facebook and began organizing a larger coalition of Morgan Hill residents that opposed the state’s bullet train project. They called their group, “Stop HSR in its tracks—Morgan Hill.” A plan to run the High Speed Rail parallel to U.S. 101 is one of three alternatives proposed for the “San Jose to Merced project section.” The High Speed Rail
OLD FRIENDS Students wait to enter their new classrooms Aug. 16 on the first day of school at Paradise Valley Engineering Academy.
A new class act NEW PRINCIPAL BRINGS TOPNOTCH PEDIGREE
➝ High Speed Rail, 14 Scott Forstner Reporter
The bar has been raised at Paradise Valley Engineering Academy, where new principal Julie Page came aboard with credentials that include leading the top-scoring school in
the state while working in Cupertino. Page, who brings nearly a quarter-century of education experience as a teacher and administrator in local districts including Cupertino, Saratoga and Aptos, was out greeting families as they arrived on the LaCrosse Drive campus in southwest Morgan Hill for the Aug. 16 first day of school. Along with Paradise
Valley, it was opening day for Morgan Hill Unified School District’s 13 elementary, middle and high schools. “I live in Morgan Hill, so this is my dream come true to get this opportunity,” said Page, an Aptos transplant who fell in love with the local community after moving here several years ago. Page thinks Paradise Valley is the perfect match for her after coming from a “21st-century
technology-focused school … This engineering focus is fabulous for me.” With a strong background in Project Based Learning, Page—who is enjoying the view out to the fourth- and fifthgrade courtyard area from her principal’s office perch in the new administration building—foresees a continued integration of engineering and computer design into the existing curriculum.
Paradise Valley has 420 students, enrolled in grades K-5, and returned 17 teachers to the faculty. Page, who replaces former principal Swati Dagar, said she will take input from her staff and the school community to see what areas may need improvement and others that should continue on their path. “I think we need to ➝ Paradise Valley, 2
Charge dismissed in councilman’s case Michael Moore Editor
The domestic violence case against Morgan Hill City Councilmember Larry Carr was dismissed Aug. 20, after the alleged victim refused to answer questions under oath during a brief bench trial.
After Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Duong announced her ruling, prosecutors acknowledged they couldn’t prosecute Carr without the woman’s testimony. “We evaluate every case based solely on the evidence we can present in a courtroom,” Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Vishal Bathija said after the Aug. 20 trial. “Often we can and do proceed with a prosecution even when a victim
refuses to testify. Unfortunately in this case, the weight of the evidence rested in the testimony of the victim. Because the victim refused to tell the judge what happened on the night of Nov. 25, 2017 or during the 2015 incidents, we could not prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.” Carr, 49, waived his right to a jury trial on the charge of misdemeanor domestic battery, which the D.A.’s Office filed
against him in relation to a November 2017 incident with Barbara Ristrim, his live-in girlfriend at the time. The Aug. 20 trial was a bench or court trial, a proceeding in which the judge is tasked with weighing the evidence and testimony, and determining the defendant’s guilt or innocence. Carr pleaded not guilty to the charge at a previous hearing. The alleged battery took place at the home
Carr shared with Ristrim in downtown Morgan Hill, following a lengthy verbal argument Thanksgiving weekend. Just before Carr was arrested the night of Nov. 25, Ristrim told police that Carr had broken her glasses and pulled her hair during the argument. Carr told police any contact he made with Ristrim was accidental. Ristrim’s sister, who
Residential High-Speed Internet - Low Latency for Streaming & Video
SAVE
239
$
OFF EQUIP.
Call Now:
650-727-5511
USE PROMO CODE:
MHTimes
➝ Carr, 13
Promotion Expires 7/31/2018
ALLEGED VICTIM REFUSES TO TESTIFY AT AUG. 20 TRIAL