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Fancy Dancers of Milpitas perform in Oahu, Hawaii
By Rhoda Shapiro & Eric Shapiro, The Milpitas Post, July 19, 2023 Earlier this summer, local dance group Fancy Dancers (of Fancy Dancers, Inc., at 1491 N. Milpitas Blvd.) took a trip to Oahu, Hawaii, for an educational performance tour. During the overseas adventure, the dancers took hula lessons, learned how to snorkel, went hiking at Diamond Head State Monument, attended a real-live luau, and took a tour of Pearl Harbor, where some of them earned Junior Ranger badges. The Fancy Dancers got started in 1984, and are coming up on their 40th anniversary show in Spring, 2024. The dancers there range in age from 10 to 22. A fresh…
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New Milpitas High School principal Greg Wohlman brings experience & grit
By Rhoda Shapiro, July 31, 2023, Milpitas Beat When Greg Wohlman was 18 years old, he left his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota – and never looked back. “I had a driver’s license, a can of Mountain Dew, a Snickers bar, and a high school diploma,” said Wohlman in an interview with The Beat. “And I drove as fast as I could.” He drove out to Texas, where he attended East Texas State University, studying advertising and art, with a focus on copywriting. However, several years later, after graduating from school, he had the realization that the advertising industry just wasn’t for him, that there was a deeper calling… That…
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The latest updates on Project Homekey’s Hillview Court Apartments
By Maria Denise Cuenca, July 31, 2023, Milpitas Beat Residents had brought up various safety concerns to the public related to violence, drug-related activity, and mental health. As recently as last week, the Milpitas Police Department informed the public of a domestic disturbance at the property. On May 22, a tenant of Hillview named Lisa Reeve emailed the City Council as well as many other groups regarding a variety of issues related to the property. Many of the issues at Hillview have led to increased calls to emergency services. The City Council wrote a letter to Supervisor Otto Lee asking for his assistance on the issue. Then, on May 31,…
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A nostalgic look back at Cal Skate of Milpitas
By Eric Shapiro, The Milpitas Beat, July 25, 2023 With Retro Milpitas right around the corner, The Milpitas Beat got on the phone with Chris St. Germain – the longtime co-owner of Cal Skate and the daughter of its original founders Ernie and Evelyn St. Germain – for an exclusive interview. Chris, who now lives in Henderson, Nevada, ran the business with her brother Trace and their dad till it closed in 2011. Cal Skate burns bright in Milpitas’s collective memory. Even years after they shut their doors, they still maintain a robust Facebook page. To many, the business represents a lost time, one of joy, innocence, and simple togetherness.…
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Estranged Individuals win Battle of the Bands at Milpitas Library
Moon Dough takes first place in the adult category Estranged Individuals celebrate their victory in the teen category at the Battle of the Bands, held July 22 at the Milpitas Library. Members of the Milpitas-based band are Lucas Guzicki, left, on vocals and guitar, Mohamed Ibrahim on bass and Aiden Kawamoto on drums. (Photo by Mylene Stolpe/Charismatic Photography) Teen and adult bands faced off live on July 22 at Milpitas Library at the Battle of the Bands produced by the Santa Clara County Library District. With this second annual event, the district hoped to give a chance for these half a dozen bands to make an impression and maybe make…
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Historical trivia: Milpitas’ history as the constant butt of nationwide jokes
By Eric Shapiro, June 17, 2023, in The Milpitas Beat The Milpitas Beat last Saturday caught up with Milpitas Historical Society President Bill Hare for a fun, quick chat about our city’s long yet forgotten history as the butt of endless jokes around the nation… According to Hare, for about a century, a comparable cultural sentiment was in circulation about a “man from Milpitas…” No man in particular, just a general, fictional Milpitas resident… The Milpitas Historical Society can trace the whole thing back to news articles from the 1860s. According to Hare, “In 1863, there was talk of California maybe leaving the union and becoming a slave state…There was…
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Hillview Court Apartment residents demand help
Hillview Court Apartment residents demand help amidst increasing concerns for safety Rhoda Shapiro –May 26, 2023 When John Tuitasi’s car was broken into, he had no desire to call the police. The car had been in the parking lot of the Hillview Court Apartments, located at 1000 Hillview Court in Milpitas. But when somebody else at the property found out what had happened to Tuitasi’s car, they decided to reach out to police on their own. Later that night, the police went up to Tuitasi’s door and asked him questions about the break-in. “The next day, somebody threw a rock through my window,” said Tuitasi. “So what good did it…
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Two Milpitas High teachers let go – May 18, 2023
Two Milpitas High teachers let go after accusations of inappropriate behavior toward students Maria Denise Cuenca – May 18, 2023 Throughout the year 2022, investigations of two Milpitas High School teachers were conducted due to allegations of inappropriate behavior toward students. The two teachers investigated were Toby Anderson and Lance Brookner. Toby Anderson was a Life Skills and World History teacher at Milpitas High School and mostly taught 9th- and 10th-graders, while Lance Brookner taught Principles of Finance, Accounting, and Marketing/Customer Service to 11th- and 12th-graders. Through a public records request to MUSD, The Beat was able to gather information on the investigations of both teachers. Both instances are…
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3 dead after man goes on violent rampage in San Jose, Milpitas; Suspect arrested
A man went on a deadly rampage Thursday in Milpitas and San Jose, stabbing at least three people and striking three others with a vehicle that was carjacked, police said. At least three victims have died and two others have life-threatening injuries. At about 4:30 p.m., Milpitas police investigated a stabbing in the parking lot of a Smart & Final store on the 400 block of Jacklin Road. Officers provided life-saving measures to the Jacklin Road victim but the person succumbed to their injuries, police said. Shortly afterward, police arrested a suspect nearby at Midwick Dr. and Arizona Ave. just north of the Smart & Final store. UPDATE: The victim…
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Developer of Sunnyhills Apartments renews HUD contract for 5 more years
ByRhoda Shapiro March 29, 2023 Sunnyhills Apartment residents after a Milpitas City Council meeting. Residents of the Sunnyhills Apartments can breathe a sigh of relief – at least for the next 5 years. JMK Investments, the developer of the historic apartment complex, recently renewed the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contract until 2028, ensuring that 149 of the units there maintain subsidized housing status. Weeks ago, things looked uncertain… Residents of the Sunnyhills Apartments spent recent months launching a petition and asking the City of Milpitas for support in retaining their affordable housing. The City had conversations with the developer, leading to a renewed contract of 5 additional years, which…
