Community

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that the San Benito County Water District (SBCWD) will be awarded two grants to support local water resiliency efforts.  The project that received funding—Accelerated Drought Response Project or ADRoP—is centered around groundwater recharge efforts. To accomplish this...

Construction contractor Teichert Inc., along with the Associated General Contractors of California and other organizations, hosted a “Mental Health Awareness Stand Down” in San Benito County May 19.  The stand down, which took place at the site of the Highway 156 Improvement Project in San...

Residents who cannot live in their homes while repairing damage from the severe storms and flooding that started on Feb. 21, or must find a new place to live, can apply for temporary rental assistance from FEMA, says a press release from the federal...

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital’s financial advisors and administrators assured the public at a crucial May 22 meeting that a Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing is their only option to keep the Hollister hospital functioning—though perhaps eventually with reduced services—and would not result in a closure...

A May 18 lockdown of Hollister High School was triggered by a glitch in the school’s alarm system that sent out a false alert of a campus emergency, according to law enforcement and school officials.  Police responded to the live report of a potential emergency...

Re: City council postpones affordable housing ordinance, Free Lance May 12, 2023 A decision not to decide concerning a decisive issue is difficult to understand. This makes me think that Mia Casey might prefer to be mayor of a city like Monterey rather than of...

The Board of Directors of the San Benito Health Care District, which oversees Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, will decide whether to file a Chapter 9 bankruptcy case at the next board meeting at 5pm May 22.  The agenda item and supporting documentation were noticed to...

Hollister’s Jenny Cullumber, who was named the 2023 California Mother of the Year by a statewide nonprofit organization, is planning to launch a service therapy campaign to help other moms improve and maintain their mental health, according to American Mothers Inc.  Cullumber was recognized as...

A report of an active shooter at Hollister High School was unfounded Thursday afternoon, police said.  The Hollister Police Department sent out a press release at 12:58pm May 18, stating that officers responded to the campus to investigate an “apparent false active shooter alert.” Police...

The Hollister Police Department as well as the local office of the California Highway Patrol will each conduct DUI checkpoints at different locations in South Valley the evening of May 19, according to authorities.  Hollister Police announced this week that officers will hold a checkpoint...