Economy

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital said in a statement that a major national and regional private health insurer is “refusing” to pay the Hollister hospital a fair price for health services. As a result, after Aug. 10, patients insured by Anthem Blue Cross Preferred Provider...

San Benito County will host a town hall workshop on the draft environmental impact report for the John Smith Road Landfill expansion project on Aug. 22. The workshop will start at 6:30pm, at the Veterans Memorial Building, 649 San Benito Street in Hollister.  The workshop...

The Hollister Recreation department has been busy bringing fun under the sun this summer for San Benito County residents. They recently invited the community for Family Fun Night on July 30 to play a couple of holes of miniature golf along with other family-friendly activities...

Local registered nurses and the board of directors of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital agreed to a new contract that “includes victories for patients and nurses,” according to the medical employees’ union. Nurses represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United ratified the four-year contract on...

San Benito County’s homeless population has increased by 26%–or 75 people–since 2019. Much of this increase is reportedly linked to ongoing challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and county officials say there would be even more homeless residents without the availability of local resources.  Volunteers...

Santa Clara County planning officials have released the draft Environmental Impact Report for the 403-acre Sargent Ranch quarry project that is proposed south of Gilroy. The public comment period on the EIR began July 25 and will continue until Sept. 26, according to county staff. Representatives...

Hollister Animal Control officers recently cited a local resident on suspicion of having too many chickens in violation of the city’s municipal code. The resident, however, says the citation is unfair because the city’s ordinance is not written clearly enough. Hollister Police Department’s Animal Care...

The Board of the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers for Monterey and San Benito Counties (CHSP) announced that Genevieve Lucas-Conwell is the new incoming Executive Director of the Coalition. Joining CHSP from the Bay Area, Lucas-Conwell has served alongside the unhoused population in both San...

Garlic.com is celebrating the arrival of its internet services to San Juan Bautista with a free ice cream social July 21 at Vertigo Coffee Roasters. The Community Fun Night festivities go from 6-8:30pm, and include free coffee and ice cream sundaes, music, games, trivia...

Although farm and food production workers were considered essential workers during the pandemic, many of California's food employers endangered those workers, violating Cal/OSHA's Covid-19 guidelines more often than most industries, a new report said. The California Institute for Rural Studies’ report said farm and food...