Economy

San Benito County and its elected board of supervisors violated state environmental protection laws when they approved a conditional use permit for the Betabel commercial project proposed next to Highway 101, according to a lawsuit filed last week by two nonprofit organizations.  The lawsuit—filed Dec....

Take a step back in time and enjoy medieval pageantry, entertainment and fare at the Northern California Renaissance Faire. The revelry starts Sept. 17-18, and continues on weekends through Oct. 22-23 at Casa de Fruta in Hollister. The festival features merchandise from fine artisans and...

Squires named to Dean’s List Hollister resident Emma Squires was named to the dean's list for the spring 2022 semester at Washington University in St. Louis. Squires is enrolled in the university's Olin Business School, according to a press release. To qualify for the Dean's List...

In an effort to minimize impacts on wildlife and tribal resources, as well as to satisfy critics of the proposed Sargent Mine in southern Santa Clara County, the project’s applicant recently offered to scale back their original plans for the property. However, some of those...

Construction on the Highway 156 Corridor Improvement Project will continue with large-scale earthwork moving, according to a project update from the California Department of Transportation. The upcoming work will be focused east of Mission Vineyard Road and continuing toward Union Road.  Crews are stabilizing the...

In an effort to cut costs as Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (HHMH) faces a potential bankruptcy, the San Benito Health Care District Board of Directors voted Jan. 6 to close the hospital system’s home healthcare department.  The board’s vote was in line with a recommendation...

The New Year brought a new addition to the Espinoza Briody family in Hollister and the First Baby of the New Year to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.  Catriona Espinoza Briody and Jorge Espinoza welcomed their baby girl, Cassidy, at 7:11am on Jan. 1, according to...

After five months of backroom jockeying and another six-hour meeting behind closed doors, California Assembly Democrats agreed Nov. 10 to a lengthy transition that will see Robert Rivas succeed Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon next summer. Emerging from a ballroom at the Sacramento Convention Center, Rivas,...

For more than two years, people have clamored for the return to “normal” after the uncertainties of a pandemic. In 2022, we got a taste of normalcy, but it was far from being predictable. Covid-19, which dominated the headlines in 2020 and 2021, seemingly took a...

Although recent rains have saturated Hollister and the surrounding areas—with more precipitation on the way—experts advised this week that California is nowhere close to being out of its ongoing drought.  A lingering storm over New Year’s weekend, from Dec. 30-Jan. 1, dumped a steady downpour...