Community

A local man was recently sentenced to serve time in the San Benito County Jail for intentionally harming a neighbor’s dog while impaired by methamphetamine use, according to authorities. Walter Monzon was sentenced on July 13 on a felony charge of cruelty to an animal,...

The debate over the future of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (HHMH) took an unexpected turn this week with an announcement by the hospital and the San Benito Health Care District (SBHCD) that they received a Letter Of Intent from American Advanced Management (AAM) in...

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...

There is an old proverbial idiom, “The Pot Calling the Kettle Black’” that very accurately describes the dynamic revealed in a recent mailer from the local 501 c 4 political nonprofit “Neighbors to Preserve San Benito” (NPSB).  The mailer referenced a recent news article directed...

Re: “Trump takes steps to overhaul CA water delivery,” Free Lance, Jan. 24  “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” To get this message, drive over Pacheco Pass anytime.  At the top is that beautiful San Luis Reservoir that used to exist as a vast valley...

Hollister Police last week sent out a public advisory about a recent nationwide flurry of false threats of violence against students and school staff—including some incidents in San Benito County.  Such false reports, which are often posted and recirculated on social media, are known as...

All four of Hollister’s primary winter sports teams qualified for the Central Coast Section playoffs. And the wrestling teams did well too, with the boys winning the Pacific Coast Athletic League title over Palma and others. The girls PCAL title went to Monterey, with...

In a season often defined by shopping carts full of toys, packed grocery aisles and the annual scramble for the perfect pie, it can be easy to forget what Thanksgiving is truly about.  At its heart, the holiday isn’t measured by the size of the...

Hollister boys tennis Coach Rick Espino has his program rolling with both high-end talent and overall numbers and that will keep the Balers in the competitive top side of the Pacific Coast Athletic League, Mission Division.  Leadership at the top of the singles ladder comes...

Student workers at Gavilan College are organizing what they say would be the first student workers union at a community college in California, aiming to address wage disparities and improve working conditions at their Gilroy and Hollister campuses, and inspire other students to follow...