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Mattie Scariot, Director of the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, said she was thrilled to announce the appointment of Jon Fitzgerald and Tasja Kirkwood to the PJIFF Board of Directors during a milestone year—its 20th anniversary. Their appointments bring an exciting blend of industry...

Gurleen Khajuria, a Gavilan College STEM tutor and aspiring materials scientist, has been awarded the 2025 Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Scholarship.  The $20,000 award supports community college students transferring to UC Santa Cruz who have shown exceptional academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service. Gavilan...

As the U.S. Senate debates the sweeping legislation known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” it’s worth asking a critical question: who really pays the price for political ambition? For rural communities like ours in San Benito County, the answer may hit closer to home...

SJB art exhibit celebrates iconic Route 66 A new art exhibit, “Painting Route 66: An Artist Road Trip,” will open in San Juan Bautista with a June 21 reception from 5-7pm. The exhibit will remain open to the public through Aug. 10. The exhibit and reception...

Hollister Police Department will conduct a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint on June 13, at an undisclosed location within the city limits. The checkpoint will take place from 6pm-1:30am.   In recent years, California has seen a “disturbing increase” in drug-impaired driving crashes, Hollister Police Department...

Open letter to Hon. Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation: Re: USDOT F.R.A.'s Notice of Proposed Determination 6-4-2025 In my opinion, the reason for the failure of the CAHSRA’s high speed rail proposal is its reliance on the public sector model of transport funding as seen...

More than 800 students graduated from Hollister High School’s Class of 2025 at the local campus June 6, and are now prepared to take their next steps in the world.  This year’s graduates have a variety of plans—from community college or university, to careers or...

Watsonville Police on June 10 rounded up nearly 1,000 pounds of illegal fireworks after they uncovered a group of people, including a teenager, suspected of selling dangerous fireworks in Watsonville and across Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties.  Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said...

In what transportation officials and local representatives hail as a “major milestone,” all four lanes of the new San Benito Route 156 Improvement Project will open to all traffic on June 13.  Caltrans District 5 hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 7, in which...

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...