Community

The San Benito County Office of Education announced the results of its “There’s Snow Better Time to Read” reading challenge this week, praising students who collectively read 8,120,876 words from Oct. 1-Nov. 30, says a press release from the office. The students doubled the...

Political leadership and law enforcement’s general passivity toward illegal fireworks is a serious public-safety problem, but neighbors must play a more active role in reporting the dangerous crimes as well.

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...

Three people were rescued from a burning home on Nash Road in Hollister the night of March 8, according to authorities. The structure fire displaced at least nine people, and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.  The Hollister Fire Department responded to the...

Re: Healthcare or Health Insurance Is it a horse or a zebra?, is a question we never ask because of evident stripes. But trying to identify healthcare from health insurance becomes more difficult because stripes are not easily identifiable.  Let’s make health insurance a zebra and...

Maze Middle School has received esteemed recognition for its Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) framework.  The California Coalition for PBIS honored Maze with its Gold Recognition Award for the school’s commitment to the model, which is a multi-tiered system of support for students that...

Hollister’s softball and baseball teams both won exciting, tight games in Central Coast Section playoff openers.  Concurrently, the league champ Baler track and field team saw five athletes and one four-person relay team compete in the CCS Finals in Gilroy. The Balers track team won the...

San Benito County is facing significant challenges in its legal representation for indigent clients, with glaring issues in the current contract system. This includes low rates of litigation, minimal jury trials and lack of motions to suppress evidence—all of which raise ethical and procedural...

Across the United States—and around the world—women are quietly exiting the workforce. Some leave abruptly after hostile workplace experiences. Others make a slower calculation: the wage gap is persistent, advancement feels blocked, caregiving support is absent and bias—subtle or overt—makes staying more costly than...

The holiday season officially rolled into town Saturday night as an estimated 8,000 people lined the streets for the 35th annual community Christmas parade, a sparkling procession of lights, music and hometown pride. With families bundled in blankets and children waving eagerly from the curb,...