Community

San Benito County residents can get rid of their bulky items for free this weekend at John Smith Road Landfill.  The California Department of Transportation and the county’s Integrated Waste Management are sponsoring the two-day Bulky Item Recycling Event from 9am-3pm March 25-26. The John...

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital announced March 21 that its leadership staff will withdraw notices previously sent to employees that cautioned of a potential hospital closure and loss of jobs.  The notices are being withdrawn because HHMH has made “significant progress in shoring up its finances”...

With outside visitors observing R.O. Hardin Elementary School classrooms March 7, kindergarten students rotated with about half receiving small-group instruction and others using a computer-aided literacy program.  “Is … it … your … birthday?” one instructor pronounced to three students while having them read along...

More than three years after the Covid-19 pandemic began, San Benito County Health & Human Services Agency and Public Health Services are adopting the California Department of Public Health’s updated guidelines—including reduced isolation and quarantine for infected people and the elimination of all public...

The applicant for the proposed Strada Verde Innovation Park in northern San Benito County has asked local officials to postpone an upcoming planning meeting due to recent changes in leadership at the project’s development company.  In a March 9 email to San Benito County planning...

Bach to Blues Concert returns March 18  The Bach to Blues Concert returns to the Gavilan College Theater on March 18 at 7:30pm. Bach to Blues is a fundraising concert that showcases faculty, students and local talent. This year's guest performers include the San Benito Oriana...

Hollister High senior Kayla Salazar was recently chosen as a 2023 Girls Inc. National Scholar for her efforts to encourage and empower her peers to be “strong, smart and bold,” says a press release.  Salazar is one of only three recipients in the U.S. and...

Following a recent city council discussion, it is increasingly likely that the Fourth of July motorcycle rally will not return to Hollister for 2023.  The council on March 6 discussed the possibility of bringing the rally back to the downtown this summer, as an informational...

The latest round of storms to hit South Valley has brought a seemingly endless onslaught of downed trees, mudslides, power outages, local flooding and road closures that left many residents and commuters stranded.  In San Benito County, authorities rescued at least 14 people on March...

At least eight earthquakes have been reported in the Tres Pinos area since late in the morning March 14, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  Four of the quakes measured 3.4 magnitude—the strongest of the Tuesday temblors as of 12:20pm Tuesday. The earthquakes started at...