Economy

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...

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital employees received notices this week indicating the Hollister hospital could close as soon as February 2023, according to HHMH administrators.  The hospital’s issuing of Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) to its employees follows a string of unfortunate financial announcements from...

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...

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....

Special to the Free Lance San Benito County officials and property owners continue to seek more funding to provide more services for local homeless people, and to reduce the unhoused population.  The San Benito County Board of Supervisors discussed some of the possibilities when they met...

The San Benito County Arts Council, along with local artists, community members and representatives from California Department of Transportation, recently selected three artists through a statewide call-for-artists to create and install new public artworks for two Clean California Projects in San Benito County.  The first...

Since 1942, sailors assigned to the U.S. Navy’s Construction Force have been building and fighting around the world. Petty Officer 2nd Class Adon Olivares, a Hollister native, is one of those sailors. “My grandfather served in the Army and my dad also served, so I...

More than 1,000 motorcyclists rolled through Hollister April 10 for the Top Hatters’ annual Palm Sunday bike blessing. The 2022 event, which took place at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, was the 29th annual bike blessing organized by the Top Hatters Motorcycle Club, according to longtime...

While some California residents opted to leave the state during the pandemic, far fewer people are also moving to the state from other parts of the country, according to new research from the University of California at Berkeley's California Policy Lab.  The amount of people...

San Benito County has about $80,000 available for grants through the Microbusiness Covid-19 Relief Program. The grants are intended to aid very small businesses that have been adversely impacted by the pandemic, according to county staff.  The county board of supervisor accepted the funds from...