Hospital board set to decide between two partnership proposals
The list of potential partners for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital is down to two, with the future of the hospital and the San Benito Health Care District at a crossroads between a public and private option.
At a special May 20 meeting of the district...
Letter: Deny permits for Sargent Ranch mine
Juristac is an important wildlife habitat in southern Santa Clara County, and is sacred to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Unfortunately, it is threatened with destruction by a proposed sand and gravel mine that would destroy more than 400 acres of pristine landscape.
County residents...
Letter: Openness in process makes voting easy
With a great deal of interest I read, “Primary ballot includes county offices.” It seems as though our Registrar of Voters has mounted a decent defense because he is under attack by some with accusations of “a rigged system.”
Our looming March 5 election has...
County Board of Education: Meet the candidates
Over the coming weeks, the Hollister Free Lance will profile candidates for local City of Hollister and San Benito County offices that will appear on the Nov. 3 election.
Cluster of earthquakes shake Tres Pinos
At least eight earthquakes have been reported in the Tres Pinos area since late in the morning March 14, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Four of the quakes measured 3.4 magnitude—the strongest of the Tuesday temblors as of 12:20pm Tuesday. The earthquakes started at...
Letter: Yes on N: Separating fact from fiction
These lies are nothing new from Measure N’s opponents, who have a long track record of spreading fear and inaccurate information to keep San Benito County from making meaningful progress.
County wins state funds for regional park
The San Benito County Resource Management Agency recently shared the “excellent” news that it has received a $2.4 million grant from the state to help build the new Riverview Regional Park.
The funds were awarded on Aug. 22 by the California State Regional Park Program,...
Event raises awareness of importance of Juristac
It’s springtime, and orange poppies, purple lupine and red paintbrush flowers color the hillsides at Juristac, a pristine hillside landscape in northern San Benito County and Southern Santa Clara County that is the site of a proposal for an open pit mining project.
In honor...
San Benito County conducts sex offender sweep
During a sweep of registered sex offenders last week, San Benito County authorities determined that 13 people were out of compliance with their registration requirements.
The county’s probation department conducted its annual sex offender registration compliance sweep on Oct. 26. Officers from the Hollister Police...
County halts hemp grows, for now
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors, hearing concerns of theft and odor after the first hemp growing season, placed a 45-day moratorium on operations Dec. 10 to give the county time to revise its ordinance by late January.
The county’s hemp ordinance went into...


















