Homeless given a helping hand in Gonzales
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 28th, 2010
The Gonzales Community Church and St. Theodore's Catholic Church prepared an evening meal for homeless men and St. Theodore's provided a place for them to sleep for the night.
The evening was sponsored by the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (IHELP), an organization that has for many years been giving a helping hand to men who are temporarily homeless and ...more

Dedication is needed to be a volunteer firefighter
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 28th, 2010
Daniel Gutierrez has seen up-close a range of human life, from birth to death, when answering the call of a firefighter.
Gonzales Fire Department Captain Gutierrez is one of two other captains, Juan Banuelos and Manuel Fernandez, and one paid firefighter, Assistant Fire Chief Jason Muscio, and about 18 other volunteers who make up the Gonzales Fire Department.
Captain ...more

South County gets a new librarian
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 28th, 2010
Denise Campos was selected to be the next Soledad librarian, replacing long-time Librarian Angie Lopez, who recently retired.
Campos' position of Code Officer in the building services department at the Salinas Government Center was eliminated. Because the County has a commitment to keep employees within the County system, she became part of the County's placement program that involved signing up ...more

New gym will be the pride of Gonzales
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 28th, 2010
Duane Wolgamott, Director of Facilities and Support Services for the Gonzales Unified School District, showed-off the new City/School joint-use gym, in back of Fairview Middle School and near Fifth Street, that will open soon.
The building is finished, with just a few more minor tweaking, described by Wolgamott, as the punch list. "That is the final walk through where ...more

New visitor's center to be built at the Pinnacles
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 28th, 2010
On July 9, Congressman Sam Farr, Soledad Mayor Richard Ortiz, Monterey County Supervisor Simon Salinas, San Benito County Supervisor Reb Monaco, Pinnacles National Monument Superintendent Eric Brunnemann and others met Contractor Fletcher Burton, of the Andersen Burton Construction Inc., of Arroyo Grande, Calif., who has been contracted to build a visitor's center on the west side of the Pinnacles.
According ...more

Artist prepares mural for Summer Festival - Painting will depict early Gonzales
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 14th, 2010
Gonzales artist Corali Ramirez was astounded at the size of the mural she agreed to paint, which, when finished, will be the backdrop for the Gonzales Summer Festival, taking place July 31 and Aug. 1 at Centennial Park.
"The woman kept rolling, and rolling and rolling the material out," Ramirez said. "It was a real heavy package when it got ...more

Four Communities For Peace makes pitch to Farr - South County cities partner to reduce violence
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 14th, 2010
Before U.S. Representative Sam Farr (17th District) joined the Four Communities For Peace (FCFP) collaborative group, mayors, city managers and police department personnel from all four South County cities came together to officially sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to work proactively to reduce violence.
FCFP came about through two events that happened close together.
The first one was the ...more

City of Gonzales and school district discus joint use gym - Facility planned to officially open in a few weeks
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 14th, 2010
Two separate governmental agencies working together on a project as large as the joint gymnasium is unusual, but not for the City of Gonzales and the Gonzales Unified School District.
The two groups got together last Monday in the Gonzales City Council Chambers to share ideas and to begin thinking about naming the building.
The school board didn't have any ...more

Small Business Development Center opens in South County - Center provides services to area's small business community
Posted: Wednesday, Jul 14th, 2010
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Soledad officially opened its doors last Wednesday with the purpose of helping small businesses in the City of Soledad. SBDC has partnered with California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), UC Merced SBDC Regional Network, and the City of Soledad Community Development Block Grant Program. Soledad City Manager Adela Gonzalez opened the ceremony by ...more