Community

What animal control investigators thought was a case involving an abandoned dog turned out to be a misunderstanding, Hollister Police said.  After investigating the July 26 incident and contacting the owners, local authorities determined the dog is in good health and its owners had no...

It isn’t a big surprise that San Benito High School District officials are broaching the potential for a second facilities bond. That's because the first one approved in 2014 covered about half of the district’s mega-campus “modernization” master plan that includes more than $80 million in projects that could be funded by the bond and general fund—with about $20 million of it slated for sports-related expenses.

Joe Vallejo braced himself on the deck, pulling down his hat with both hands to cover his eyes. Then the countdown started. Transmitting over the radio speakers of the U.S.S. Lipan, the crew in the airplane above counted off the last seconds.  Suddenly, everything went...

As the U.S. Senate debates the sweeping legislation known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” it’s worth asking a critical question: who really pays the price for political ambition? For rural communities like ours in San Benito County, the answer may hit closer to home...

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust recently announced that four new board members have been appointed to the Gilroy based nonprofit’s board of directors.  The new members are Susan True, Amanda Serenyi, Guillermo Rodriguez and Robert ‘Perl’ Perlmutter, says a press release from the trust.  “We at...

Whether it’s the positive feedback or soothing music in the background, there’s a calming vibe in Janet Carlen’s classrooms.  Carlen teaches TK through first-grade students at Sunnyslope and Cerra Vista Elementary Schools. While she has taught for a decade, Carlen joined the Hollister School District...

Former San Benito High School art teacher John Robrock retired in 2018 with several boxes of unclaimed works from former students. In December, he set out on a quest to reunite the pieces with their creators.  Events that followed have turned into a public art...

Gurleen Khajuria, a Gavilan College STEM tutor and aspiring materials scientist, has been awarded the 2025 Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Scholarship.  The $20,000 award supports community college students transferring to UC Santa Cruz who have shown exceptional academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service. Gavilan...

Maze Middle School has made substantial improvements with prior behavior and academic issues, which prompted its removal from a federal designation requiring efforts to cure the problems.  Five years ago, the U.S. Department of Education listed Maze as a Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school....

Ever since Hollister High School senior Jake Varnes finished his time as a student at Cerra Vista Elementary School, he wanted to find some way to give back to the school. He found a path toward doing just that with his Eagle Scout project.  Varnes...