Community

Caltrans will soon begin work to modify the intersection of U.S. 101 at Rocks Road and Cannon Road in San Benito County.  The project will include the closure of the median opening on Highway 101, and the elimination of all through passage and left turn...

This year, San Benito County is focused on repaving some of the most traveled commuter routes with a focus on safety.  Of course, the list of rural San Benito County roads needing repairs is seemingly endless due to decades of deferred improvements. The vast majority...

A decade ago, California summers brought not only heat, but the threat of rolling blackouts. Extreme heat waves pushed our electricity system to the brink, leaving millions without power when they needed it most.  The story has changed. Thanks to battery energy storage systems (BESS),...

Hollister pitcher Trent Roach had a season for the ages in 2025. He was untouchable, with a 0.00 ERA in 78 innings, no earned runs allowed and only one unearned run yielded. Roach, who also hit .525 for the season and was named to...

Art & Rebellion, a Santa Cruz-based self-described resistance group, staged a peaceful theatrical protest at Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company in Hollister on Aug. 21.  Garbed in brilliant colors, goofy hats, glittery jackets, bright red noses and curly wigs, waving umbrellas, batons and plungers, the...

A premier northern California focal point for the preservation, enjoyment, instruction and performance of bluegrass music is in San Benito County, where the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival takes place the second weekend of August every year in Tres Pinos.  The 31st annual festival, Aug....

Mariscal and teammates set 4x800 relay school record by nearly six seconds Jasayla Mariscal’s name is all over the Hollister High track and field record book. Even in events she did not run regularly or concentrate on. Her specialty is the 800 meters, where she...

Grace Peffley has patrolled centerfield for Hollister softball the last four years. During that span, her athletic defense was matched by her spectacular hitting. Peffley graduates with an amazing career batting average of .476, with 147 hits in 309 at-bats. Her on-base percentage is...

The San Benito Health Care District announced Aug. 13 that Insight Health is stepping away from negotiations on a proposed lease-to-purchase agreement for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, citing unprecedented uncertainty stemming from the recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).  The federal legislation will...

Author reflects on iconic moment, upcoming local performances Every August, I reminisce about my adventurous week at the legendary Woodstock Music & Art Fair, now 56 years ago. I think about the heat and humidity and the smell of patchouli oil, incense, cow manure and...