New 2024 laws protect workers who use cannabis
Californians that partake in cannabis use in their off-work down time will have more employment protections beginning Jan. 1 thanks to new laws.
Assembly Bill 2188 is an amendment to the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and prohibits employers from discriminating against a worker...
Local LULAC council honored
California State League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) recently named the San Benito County LULAC Council 2890 as the 2024 statewide Council of the Year, says a press release from the local organization.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the San Benito County LULAC...
Mission 10 Race scheduled for Jan. 25 in San Juan Bautista
The 41st annual Mission 10 Race will take place on Jan. 25, 2025. This year’s race will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Hollister, which sponsors and organizes the Mission 10 event.
Runners and walkers from all over are invited to...
Students raise more than $1M at Oct. 5 livestock auction
A highlight of this year’s San Benito County Fair in Tres Pinos was the Oct. 5 junior livestock auction, in which students raised more than $1.1 million.
Local 4-H and FFA students auctioned off more than 300 animals on auction day, according to fair organizers....
Rodeo heritage thrives
The 2024 Gilroy Rodeo broke records for highest attendance and the most contestants participating in the event’s seven-year history on Aug. 9-11.
More than 1,000 contestants competed and performed in the local rodeo, which is run entirely by volunteers and returns all of its annual...
Seen and heard at the Poppy Bash
An upbeat gala for the 18th annual Poppy Jasper International Film Festival unfolded Friday night in downtown Gilroy.
Around 200 people filled the Capos Event Center on April 12 for the three-hour Poppy Bash event, which included awards, snippets of dozens of this year’s films,...
Family Day raises funds for theater group in San Juan Bautista
Youth from Salinas, Watsonville and beyond put on a short play April 21, joining El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista as part of the long-standing theater group's annual Family Day fundraiser.
Live music, hot food and dessert—as well as the 15-minute play titled “If...
Arts Showcase features thousands of youth works
The San Benito County Office of Education partnered with the San Benito County Arts Council to host the eighth annual San Benito County Arts Showcase on April 10, at the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Hollister.
San Benito County’s Arts Showcase gives students in grades...
Bank to bank
The new Union Road bridge is on schedule to be completed by December 2024, replacing the aging existing bridge that spans the San Benito River between Cienega Road and San Benito Street. According to San Benito County Public Works Administrator Steve Loupe, the majority...
Apartment complex fire displaces 34 Hollister residents
A fire destroyed two buildings in an apartment complex on Line Street Jan. 6, leaving dozens of Hollister residents suddenly without homes over the weekend, according to city officials.
In the days since the blaze, an outpouring of donations and community support for the victims—driven...


















