Community

A State Senate bill sponsored by the City of San Juan Bautista would give small communities more flexibility when faced with state water quality fines. The legislation known as SB 1081, introduced this week by State Sen. John Laird, would allow cities to invest...

Rory Dickson, a former teacher in Hollister, remains in custody in San Benito County Jail with no bail and a felony charge of possession of child pornography, according to authorities.  Dickson is scheduled for a hearing in San Benito County Superior Court on Feb. 26,...

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...

For 46 years, through heat waves and winter storms, changing neighborhoods and changing times, Gloria Flores has manned her station with a steady attention and a familiar smile. Now, after nearly half a century of service, one of the community’s most recognizable public servants...

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office has charged a motorist with vehicular manslaughter after his passenger died while they tried to cross a flooded river.  On Feb. 17, emergency dispatchers received a call for an emergency involving two people who were attempting to traverse a...

The Hollister boys soccer team had a middling pre-season but began to jell in the early stages of the league campaign. On the back half of the Gabilan round robin, the Balers started out on a roll but fell just short of a playoff...

Hollister Dual Language Academy is building on nearly two decades of success by solidifying a plan that will provide a framework for the dual-immersion school going forward.  With support from the Hollister School District, the HDLA community is working with a consultant to develop a...

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the scent of roses hangs thick in the air at a local flower shop, where the busiest season of the year is in full bloom. Inside Barone’s Westlakes Balloons and Gifts workspace, buckets of fresh-cut flowers line the walls—long-stemmed red roses,...

Accelerated Achievement Academy’s Desaray Azevedo achieved a major honor for regional music students and she did it for the second time in three years.  Azevedo was named to the Central Coast Honor Band and participated in the annual concert at Washington Middle School in Salinas...

Walk into any classroom in San Benito County today and you’ll see more than textbooks and worksheets. You’ll see students coding simple programs, building bridges from craft sticks, experimenting with sound and light and using creativity to solve real problems.  That’s STEAM in action—science, technology,...