"By 7 p.m. each week night the following businesses block at least one exit door. They are OSH, Rite Aid and Safeway. I questioned a employee at OSH on why they did this and the response was: 'The door is not locked. We don't have enough employees to cover the door in case of shoplifting. If you needed to get out in an emergency you could just push the signs and merchandise aside and get out.' I do not go along with blocking aisles/exits for any reason while an establishment is open for business. I think there are a lot of grieving relatives of folks that perished when exits were blocked that will agree with me. Please look into and report on this as soon as possible."

& Red Phone: Dear Hot Under the Collar, Red Phone has seen the same thing at various stores in Gilroy and at stores throughout the county. So, Fire Marshal Jackie Bretschneider was contacted. She said what the stores are doing may very well be a code violation, depending on what was in front of the door. If it's just two cones with some tape, that may be OK. But, "if it's a required exit and it is marked as an exit you have to use it as an exit," she said. "That sounds like it would be a code violation. It cannot be locked from the inside."

She added that those types of complaints are investigated and promised to investigate.

"We'll look into it," she said. "We typically don't want much of anything in front of the exit doors."

Red Phone agrees. Hire another employee. Close earlier. But don't put customers at risk.

Need help getting photo back

"I wanted to find out if there are any other families that have students at GHS who submitted original pictures for the yearbook for the senior tributes. They never got pictures back. I've been trying to get pictures returned from 2005 and 2006 and I still have not been able to get them. The principal said they are no longer going to ask for originals. I really don't believe what I'm being told. Just wondering if there are other parents?"

& Red Phone: Red Phone contacted Principal Jim Maxwell, who said that for the senior pages, a handout is distributed to contributors advising them not to turn in original pictures. He said it's plainly stated on the handout. "Sometimes they get lost in the shuffle and that's why the school asks for copies only if contributors are concerned with getting their pictures back. However, at the beginning of each school year, the pictures from the last year's yearbook senior pages can be picked up in the main office for the month of September."

Doubt that helps you, but Red Phone hopes it helps the parents of other GHS students.

Work detail should be fair

"I wanna know why the high school feels that they could give some kids work detail after school and some during lunch. I think all kids should be given the same treatment. It's not fair to pick and choose. I want to know why the difference."

& Red Phone: Dear Worked, Red Phone again contacted Principal Jim Maxwell, who said work detail is assigned after school as a part of the "progressive discipline" spectrum. After detention, students are disciplined with work detail - staying after school to pick up garbage and help beautify the campus.

"Work detail is not usually assigned at lunch but can be confused with tardy students that walk around for a few minutes following brunch and lunch and pick up trash," he said.

Additionally, brunch has been reinstated and Maxwell noticed a cleaner campus following the one-day suspension last week.

Maybe the students got the message. Let's hope.