Community

The nonprofit South Valley Symphony is seeking volunteers to serve on its board of directors. Applicants should have a strong interest in helping to shape the symphony’s activities over the coming years, and should be enthusiastic about becoming a part of the symphony’s long-standing...

South Valley Civic Theatre will present the Tony-nominated musical “The Prom” beginning June 20 at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse, bringing a story of acceptance and inclusion to local audiences through song, dance and comedy. Directed by Tressa Bender, the production follows a group of...

The fentanyl crisis is ravaging communities around the country, touching lives across every socioeconomic, racial and geographic line. Yet too often, our conversations about fentanyl overdoses are clouded by stigma, misinformation and judgment.  It’s time to change that. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times...

On the evening of June 4, the courtyard of Hollister High School’s 400s campus transformed into a stage of achievement and resilience as the district celebrated the Adult Diploma Program Class of 2025. In front of family members, friends, district staff and proud educators,...

Gavilan College honored its largest graduating class in school history May 24, awarding 1,779 associate degrees and certificates during a ceremony at the college’s Gilroy campus. It was Gavilan’s 105th commencement ceremony.  “Class of 2025, congratulations. You are a part of history,” Gavilan College Superintendent...

The Peninsula Open Space Trust purchased a nearly 2,500-acre portion of the Sargent Ranch in southern Santa Clara County, according to the organization’s president. The property is located near the site of a proposed sand and gravel mine. POST President Gordon Clark spoke with this...

Re: Hellertoon, Free Lance, May 30  This political cartoon coloring the Opinion page amazed me of how skillful art can deftly explain what caused an all night session of congressional words in the House to accomplish.   At first glance of the Joe Heller cartoon, it seemed...

Three mothers from California's South Valley have turned their grief into advocacy after losing their teenage sons to fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills. Gilroy residents Geralyn Vasquez, Lisa Marquez and Stephanie Carrasco each lost sons between ages 17 and 21 to what the young men believed were...

Hollister baseball has climbed the mountaintop.  The Balers made school history this past weekend. On May 31, the Hollister baseball team captured the school’s first Central Coast Section baseball championship with a 3-0 victory over Wilcox.  The CCS D2 title game was played on a hot,...

Hollister Police arrested two people with dozens of pieces of stolen mail and personal documents after a traffic enforcement camera system alerted authorities to a wanted vehicle.  About 3pm May 28, Hollister Police officers began to receive alerts from the city’s Flock Safety system, indicating...