Health

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...

San Benito County's Department of Public Health is expected to announce this afternoon a countywide "shelter at home" order. The order will extend the countywide school closures and affect most businesses and government functions. A 2pm press conference was scheduled to announce the details of the...

A federal committee last week approved a program that includes about $63 million in funding for the improvement and expansion of water infrastructure. If approved by Congress, more than $15 million in upgrades could be dedicated to San Juan Bautista and Hollister, according to...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved amendments to the county’s affordable housing ordinance, which include a requirement for future housing developments within 10 miles of an incorporated city to offer affordable units.  The board voted 5-0 this week to approve the amendments based...

Newsom appoints Butler to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein California Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint a woman to fill the seat of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died Sept. 29. Laphonza Butler will replace Feinstein, the Governor’s Office confirmed Oct. 1.  Butler is currently president of...

The 9,400-acre Silacci Ranch—a sprawling landscape that stretches from the Salinas Valley floor to the peaks of the Gabilan Range—will be protected forever from suburban sprawl following a recent agreement between the property owner and a California land trust.  The Silacci Ranch is located in...

San Benito County’s April 20 Earth Day celebration will offer a variety of fun and games, as well as numerous chances to learn about how attendees can help keep the planet green and clean for themselves and future inhabitants.  The Earth Day event is scheduled...

San Benito County public health officials will soon begin mailing notices to local Medi-Cal members to let them know that they are no longer guaranteed continuous coverage under pandemic-era waivers, and will resume the normal process to redetermine eligibility for the state’s public health...

Thousands of volunteers flocked to the California coast and waterways on Sept. 21 to participate in the 40th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day.   The event, which is the largest single-day volunteer event in the world, according to Guinness World Records, invited eco-friendly volunteers across the...

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...