Counting on sheep
As vineyard manager at the 7,000-acre Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, Kelly Mulville has a rather significant task: he’s trying to practice organic, regenerative farming on 25 acres of vines while surrounded by hundreds of acres of vineyards being conventionally farmed.
“Our underlying philosophy...
It’s rodeo time
More than 50 community entries—including a herd of cattle, marching bands, floats, horsemen and horsewomen (some in the Vaquero tradition), 2025 Miss San Benito Rodeo, wagons and many community groups—marched through downtown Hollister June 21 to kick off this year’s San Benito County Rodeo.
The...
Sex abuse, satanic rites described in charges against foster mom
A Gilroy day care operator stalked and sexually molested her foster child and engaged in Satanic rituals, according to allegations in documents reviewed by the Gilroy Dispatch.
Santa Clara County officials filed a July 31 criminal complaint that details the charges against Christina Jean Johnson,...
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...
Two planes crash July 19 at Hollister airport
A pilot was taken to the hospital with injuries after two planes crashed at the Hollister Municipal Airport July 19, according to authorities. The other pilot involved in the crash was uninjured.
Hollister Police responded to a report that two aircraft had collided while landing...
El Teatro Campesino is District 17 Nonprofit of the Year
San Juan Bautista-based El Teatro Campesino was named by Sen. John Laird as the 2025 Nonprofit of the Year for District 17.
“For over half a century, El Teatro Campesino has uplifted the voices of working people, celebrated Chicano culture, and inspired generations through the...
‘Clowns’ stage theatrical protest at bomb component facility
Art & Rebellion, a Santa Cruz-based self-described resistance group, staged a peaceful theatrical protest at Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company in Hollister on Aug. 21.
Garbed in brilliant colors, goofy hats, glittery jackets, bright red noses and curly wigs, waving umbrellas, batons and plungers, the...
Gavilan alum takes flight in aerospace engineering
When Esthefani Montelon enrolled in Gavilan College’s Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) program in fall 2019, she had no idea she was embarking on a journey that would lead to aerospace engineering internships at NASA and Pratt & Whitney.
“I wanted to do something with my...
Hollister prepares for return of biker rally
The Hollister Independence Rally—a legendary celebration of motorcycles and the culture they have fostered—is returning to the city’s downtown in full force for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Sponsored by the City of Hollister and event promoter Roadshows, Inc., the two-day festivities include a...
Renowned author to visit Hollister bookstore
Author and youth advocate Roy Juarez, Jr. will appear for a book signing at Hill’s Bookstore in Hollister Aug. 5. The event is part of Juarez’s “Stories That Move” tour.
Juarez wrote “Homeless by Choice: A Memoir of Love, Hate, and Forgiveness” in 2018. A...
