The Gilroy Garlic Festival has announced it will soon donate $275,000 to 161 charities. The festival has given $8,285,322 to nonprofit community groups since the first event in 1979, according to 2008 Garlic Festival Association President Ed Struzik.

"These allocations are the epitome of earned benefits," Struzik said. "Every one of our 4,000 volunteers committed themselves to making the Festival a showcase for their community. And in a summer of economic challenges for many Bay Area events, the Garlic Festival maintained its 30-year standard of performance."

The donations have risen steadily since 1979, beginning with $4,550 that first year. The festival has given more than $200,000 to charities each year since 1997. Last year the top earner - which is determined by how many hours volunteers representing that particular charity logged at the three-day festival - was Elks Lodge, with $13,889. Struzik said he expects the lodge to come in first again this year, but the festival won't know the exact tally until it counts all the time cards next week, he said.

State senator opens office in Gilroy

State Senator Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) will host the grand opening of her Gilroy Senate District Office, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. today, 7800 Arroyo Circle, Suite A. Alquist will address attendees at 4 p.m. The primary purpose of Alquist's new office is to bring the Senate to the community of Gilroy, said Chief of Staff Sailaja Rajappan.

"The Senator believes strongly that government must be accessible to the people in order for it to work," she said.

Plans are for the office to open two days a week by appointment. Call 847-6101.

Alquist hopes the new location will assist constituents with accessing state programs such as Medi-Cal, unemployment insurance, the DMV, and state taxes, help the community with obtaining funding for local projects such as schools, parks, highway and street projects, and bikeways, provide consumer information to constituents and assist constituents with applying for tax relief programs, state scholarships such as the CalGrant program, and low or no-cost child care and insurance programs.

Mervyns eliminates jobs, closes 26 stores

Mervyns, a regional retailer in California and the Southwest, today announced it has eliminated a significant number of jobs, including many unfilled positions. This action, along with a decision to close 26 stores in August, is a critical component of the company's restructuring plan. Most of the associates affected today are at the Mervyns Hayward headquarters.

"Morgan Hill is not one (of the stores closing)," said spokesman Roy Berces.

The affected positions were across all headquarters areas, including finance, human resources, information technology, marketing, merchandising and store operations. Additionally, the restructuring had an impact on several field positions in stores and in Mervyns' distribution centers in Fremont and Ontario.

"Decisions to reduce headcount are never easy," said John Goodman, chief executive officer of Mervyns.

For more information, go to www.mervyns.com.

Arteaga's owners honored with award

Alfredo and Guadalupe Lopez - proprietors of Arteaga's Super Save Food Center in Gilroy - received a Champions for Change Award from the Network for a Healthy California - Bay Area Region because of their dedication to the community of south Santa Clara County. They have taken action to improve their personal health, the health of their customers and the health of the community by increasing the access of fruits and vegetables to the low-income population.

The Lopez's have been working with the Network for a Healthy California - Retail Program and Latino Campaign to promote the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and being physically active every day. This is evident in the activities and nutrition information they have provided for the community, and visible throughout their supermarket.

Alfredo and Guadalupe Lopez have made countless donations to provide healthy food demonstrations for community events, including the Cinco de Mayo Fruit and Veggie Fest hosted earlier this year, which attracted more than 3,000 people who were able to get nutrition education information.

Gavilan cheerleaders in Hollywood movie

The Gavilan College Cheerleaders are back from Hollywood where they filmed "Bring It On 5," starring Christina Millian, a motion picture about cheerleaders that was preceded by four others. The Gavilan cheer team and Coach Rachel Becerra will be featured in the movie, which is scheduled to come out next year. They will be shown performing one of their routines and in the movie's "Cheer Off."

Becerra and her team were invited to perform in the movie when the casting director heard of the Gavilan team through a mutual acquaintance.

"It is hard work having to repeat scenes over and over again," Becerra said. "When we go there we were chauffeured to the Universal Production Studio where we had to go to wardrobe and makeup. By the end of the day we were exhausted."

Health screening coming to Gilroy

Residents living in and around the Gilroy can be screened to reduce their risk of having a stroke. The complete screening package now includes a new Heart Rhythm screening which checks for irregular heartbeat, a major risk factor for stroke.

Life Line Screening will be at the First Baptist Church, 8455 Wren Ave., Oct. 24. Appointments begin at 9 a.m.

For more information regarding the screenings or to schedule an appointment, call 1-800-697-9721 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com. Pre-registration is required.

A stroke, also known as a "brain attack," is ranked as the third leading killer in the world. Screenings are fast, painless and affordable. They help identify potential health problems such as blocked arteries and irregular heart rhythm, abdominal aortic aneurysms and hardening of the arteries in the legs, which is a strong predictor of heart disease. A bone density screening to assess osteoporosis risk is also offered and is appropriate for both men and women.

Register for a Wellness Package with Heart Rhythm for $149. All five screenings take 60 to 90 minutes to complete.

New parking lot, road improvements

Politicians and the community celebrated the opening of the refurbished San Martin Caltrain parking lot and road expansion Wednesday morning.

The project includes:

n 161 new parking spaces in VTA owned property east of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks along Depot Street.

n San Martin Avenue widening between Monterey Highway and Depot Street (including dedicated left and right turn lanes from San Martin Avenue to Monterey Highway).

n Improved pedestrian access between the Caltrain Station and the new parking across the tracks.

n Improved grade differential between Monterey Highway and the tracks.

n Acceleration and deceleration lanes along Monterey Highway.

Measure B parking improvements, combined with Santa Clara County Roads and Airports Department roadway expansion, were made to accommodate the needs of commuters traveling between Gilroy and San Jose in south Santa Clara County.