The following deserve either a thumbs up or thumbs down for the week:
THUMBS UP: Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital has been a community institution for 100 years and doesn’t show any signs of slowing. The district-run hospital, as illustrated in the Free Lance’s two-part series on the anniversary, will continue to grow with the area and meet the demands of a changing San Benito County.
The hospital has morphed with the community since Hazel Hawkins’ opening in November 1907 at its first location on Monterey Street near downtown. And there has been plenty of notable history to glorify in the past few weeks leading up to the anniversary – such as T.S. Hawkins’ push to start the hospital after the death of his young granddaughter, Hazel, from complications in surgery to remove her appendix. Congratulations goes out to the hospital on hitting this praiseworthy milestone.
THUMBS DOWN: The Hollister Police Department’s policy on having citizens self-report certain crimes due to depleted staffing was first in the limelight in August, when Marshal Robert Scattini’s mailbox was blown out and police told him he had to fill out the report himself. That was a mistake on the responding officer’s part. It was, however, no mistake when police told resident Gary Cameron to self-report the hit-and-run damage against his totalled truck. With some property crimes, police don’t respond and have citizens report them. Cameron’s case personified how this policy has potential to affect any resident who’s hit with the kind of bad luck Cameron experienced. It once again illustrates the need for boosted police staffing and why the Measure T sales tax increase is necessary.
THUMBS UP: County service groups named more than 50 volunteers of the year Wednesday at the annual event to honor nonprofit organizations’ most dedicated helpers. It’s rare you’ll get so many good-hearted people in one room, but that was the case at the San Juan Oaks Golf Club gathering. It’s a worthy tribute to laudable group of people who consistently show a true community spirit.
