Economy

The applicant for the proposed Strada Verde Innovation Park in northern San Benito County has asked local officials to postpone an upcoming planning meeting due to recent changes in leadership at the project’s development company.  In a March 9 email to San Benito County planning...

Watkins graduates from Shenandoah University Branden Watkins, of Hollister, was among the 1,143 students who graduated from Shenandoah University during the 2022-23 academic year. Watkins earned a Post-Graduate Certificate in Nurse-Midwifery. Shenandoah University was established in 1875, and is headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, with additional educational...

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...

Etheric Networks, a provider of fiber and wireless internet service in the Bay Area, on June 13 announced that its newest project in San Juan Bautista is nearing completion. The expansion brings “significant new internet options to hundreds of businesses and homes in town,...

This past year has been a flurry of events, milestones, changes, victories and losses that shaped San Benito County. And as the region continues to face the challenges and embrace the hopes related to ongoing growth, 2026 promises to keep local communities moving and...

The Hollister City Council voted last week to put a proposed occupancy tax increase on the ballot for the November 2024 general election. If passed, this would be the first time since 1986 that voters will  decide to increase the tax on hotel stays...

The offshoring of U.S. jobs has accelerated in recent years, and the City of Hollister has seen a disproportionate loss of trade-related employment as a result, according to a study released last week

The historic heat wave that has gripped most of California this week has resulted in broken temperature records, prompted cities and counties to open public “cooling centers” for the vulnerable, caused power outages—and might have even damaged a stretch of highly traveled asphalt along...

Hollister Municipal Airport is set to become a testing ground for zero-emission aircraft—and perhaps even a hub for hydrogen-electric power research—as an international technology company recently announced its new 19-seat aircraft will be based at the local facility.  ZeroAvia has received its second twin-engine Dornier...

California’s severe drought continues, and mandatory water conservation measures are in place. These climate conditions, along with our limited long-term water supplies, mean it is in our best interest to use water as efficiently as possible. Not just when we’re in drought, but ALWAYS! On...