Local News

Whether it’s the positive feedback or soothing music in the background, there’s a calming vibe in Janet Carlen’s classrooms.  Carlen teaches TK through first-grade students at Sunnyslope and Cerra Vista Elementary Schools. While she has taught for a decade, Carlen joined the Hollister School District...

After waking up from their post-feast Thanksgiving slumber this week, local residents and families are invited by the Hollister Downtown Association to celebrate the holidays with the annual Lights On and Project Dec-A-Tree events.  The celebration starts with a full day’s schedule of activities at...

The Hollister City Council earlier this month unanimously voted to rescind the city’s 2040 General Plan, which was the subject of a referendum petition that was signed by more than 3,500 local voters.  A group of Hollister voters and activists submitted 3,562 signatures on Jan....

Americans will spend billions of dollars on Valentine’s Day before the week is over, and local flower shops have spent months getting ready for the inevitable rush of last-minute orders expected by Feb. 14.  Jerry Ayala, owner of the Flower Cottage in downtown Morgan Hill,...

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital was recently targeted by an information security hoax in which the perpetrator demanded a ransom payment, hospital officials said in a statement.  The Hollister hospital received correspondence from a suspect or suspects suggesting that an outside party had gained access to...

Apply for Arts Express Grant The San Benito County Arts Council is inviting local artists, art groups and art and cultural organizations to apply to their 2024 Arts Express Grant Program for general operations and project-based funding for art programs, projects and activities that will...

A photographic exhibition and screening of the documentary film “Contemporary Indigenous Voices of California’s South Coast Range” will be featured on March 15 in San Juan Bautista. Previously debuted at the de Young Museum of Fine Art in San Francisco, the free photographic exhibit will...

Caltrans this week reminded motorists to expect an increase in traffic on the Central Coast during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  With wet and cold weather in the forecast in the days before and after the Nov. 28 holiday, Caltrans in a press release asked motorists to...

‘Everyday people across the country skip medical care because of cost. Those who do seek medical help may end up with a balance they can’t pay off. That debt can hurt people’s credit scores, resulting in long-term financial burdens. Starting Jan. 1, a new state...

After a stellar career at its helm, Community Solutions President & CEO Erin O’Brien has announced her retirement from the South County nonprofit organization, according to the board of directors. O’Brien’s retirement is effective Dec. 31. Taking her place after 2025 will be Rachel Montoya,...