Economy

As Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital administrators are courting potential buyers or partners to pull the financially ailing hospital from the verge of bankruptcy, a local political organization is calling for more transparency in the process.  HHMH spokesperson Frankie Gallagher this week said the hospital has...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors will start 2023 by deciding whether to approve the 141-unit Lee Subdivision residential project in southeast Hollister.  It is the first new housing proposal in unincorporated San Benito County that the board has considered in several years, and...

Emergency public safety responders rescued nearly two dozen people and 16 animals from their homes in northern San Benito County as pouring rains and rising floodwaters engulfed homes, streets and properties Jan. 9, according to authorities.  A total of 23 people were rescued from Lovers...

Highway 25 project gains federal funds The California Transportation Commission (CTC) last week allocated nearly $3 billion for projects to repair and improve transportation infrastructure throughout the state.  The allocation includes $8.9 million in funds from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021...

Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders reached a nearly $300 million budget agreement on June 21 that closes a $46.8 billion deficit that was projected for the coming fiscal year with across-the-board cuts of nearly 8% to every department.  The $297.5 billion budget is proposed...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors last week approved a resolution stating its opposition to local ballot Measure Q, and some have wondered if the action comes too close to violating state laws against using public resources to promote an election campaign. The resolution...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors on March 8 were unable to come to a consensus on whether or not to add a sales tax measure to the November ballot, requesting more information on the county’s finances. Among the concerns during the public forum,...

A small group of registered nurses rallied outside Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Thursday in support of adequate staffing at the Hollister medical facility, which is currently facing a financial emergency.  “(We are) focusing on safe staffing,” said Pedro Silva, an RN at HHMH and member...

Binu Abraham was recently hired as the Executive Director for the Council of San Benito County Governments (COG). Abraham was previously the Principal Analyst: Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Community Strategies Project Manager for the Sacramento COG, says a press release from the local COG.  The San Benito...

California’s homeless population remains the biggest in the nation, but the crisis is growing more slowly here than in most of the rest of the country, according to new federal data.  The number of homeless Californians increased just over 3% last year compared to the...