Community

Agreement on a new fire protection contract last week means local residents can rest assured they will continue to have high-level safety services into the future. This was a monumental win for our community.  This agreement marked the end of a collective process to extend...

Hollister residents Atticus Ortiz dressed as Sonic the Hedgehog, and Jaydon Greer dressed as a Castle Guard complete with his family crest at the Ohana Toy Anime/Comic Con March 2 in downtown Hollister. Photo: Robert Airoldi Salinas residents Harvey Ilas, 12, dressed as Windego and...

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....

The Civil Grand Jury is an essential pillar of our democracy, acting as a crucial safeguard in maintaining transparency, efficiency and integrity within local government. By holding public officials and agencies accountable to the communities they serve, the Civil Grand Jury, composed of dedicated...

Local sports teams and nonprofit organizations are raising money by selling “safe and sane” fireworks for the Independence Day holiday in Hollister.  Temporary stands can be seen in shopping center parking lots and other high traffic areas throughout the city. The fireworks for sale at...

Two games into the 2025 football season and the Balers are 0-2. However, there have been many good signs and a lot of progress with new coaches and new schemes and the Balers are encouraged about the “new season,” i.e., league play, beginning Friday...

The Mary Velasco Sellen Senior Center of San Juan Bautista received a program project grant from the Community Foundation for San Benito County.  The local senior center, located at 600 First Street, was established in March 2022 by a group of senior citizens who realized...

The Las Vegas-based, family-owned traveling Circus Alegria entertained audiences in Hollister last week with classic big-top performances, animatronic dinosaurs and a 50-foot mechanical gorilla.  The circus stopped at Bolado Park in Tres Pinos for five nights of performances.  “It was really nice,” said Valentina Alegria, who...

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...