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...

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...

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital—whose administrators earlier this year declared a state of fiscal emergency—recently requested $10 million in the form of emergency bridge funding from the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, according to the Hollister hospital.  The hospital sent the proposal for a $10...

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...

The proponents of a local initiative that would require voter approval before rural and agricultural property owners in San Benito County can rezone their land have gained enough signatures to place the measure on the November ballot, according to sources. The results are not official,...

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...

Thousands of households in San Benito County who have received extra CalFresh benefits due to pandemic-related hardships will see a reduction in their monthly allotments as of April 1, and local service providers are preparing now to meet the inevitable surge in demand that...

Hollister on Aug. 20 celebrated the renaming of one of its city streets to Avenida Cesar Chavez, in honor of the California labor leader who devoted his life to fighting for civil rights farmworkers. Dozens of people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, which began with...

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...

The latest weather forecast for Hollister might not include sunny skies, but some relief from the heavy downpours that have been characteristic of recent storms over South Valley might be on the way.  After the latest atmospheric river on Jan. 10 cleared the region there...