Local News

Mike Soto, a coach for the Hollister Heat youth baseball team, and his family took advantage of some sun and warmth between the storms this week to practice their skills on the diamond.  Soto took his grandchildren and some of their friends to Vista Hill...

All lanes are now open at the new “turbo roundabout” intersection at Highways 25 and 156 in San Benito County. The California Department of Transportation released a how-to video on Youtube—in both English and Spanish—advising travelers how to approach and navigate the new intersection,...

Nearly four months after forming a bipartisan select committee and two hearings later, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas announced legislation Feb. 15 to combat shoplifting and organized retail theft—just beating a legislative deadline to introduce new bills. The Hollister Democrat joined Democratic Assemblymembers Rick Zbur of...

Elisa and Valentina Ornelas—ages 7 and 4, respectively—enjoyed Volkswagens as much as their father, Cesar Ornelas, who is a collector of vintage vehicles. They loved riding in his yellow Bug, which the girls called “the banana,” or his green Volkswagen (“the green bean”) to...

Ireta earns academic honors Daniel Ireta, of Hollister, was named to the Honor List for the fall 2023 semester at Minnesota State University, Mankato.   Among 3,995 students, a total of 1,227 students qualified for the High Honor List by achieving a 4.0 straight "A" average,...

In a step toward building the first massive wind farms off California’s coast, three Assemblymembers on Feb. 12 proposed a $1 billion bond act to help pay for the expansion of ports. The bill, if approved, would place a bond before voters aimed at helping...

The 2024 Countywide Spelling Bee on Feb. 6 featured 20 students who qualified for the annual event in two age groups. The contest was hosted by the San Benito County Office of Education at the Veterans Memorial Building in Hollister.  Tony Balbas, SBCOE Coordinator of...

San Benito County Superior Court Presiding Judge J. Omar Rodriguez is seeking community-oriented individuals to submit applications for participation in the 2024-25 Civil Grand Jury.  A press release from the court says the Civil Grand Jury is “an essential element of the judicial system committed...

Getting to the Sweepstakes round at the largest wine competition in North America takes a wine that outshines and outlasts 5,700 entries from more than 1,000 wineries in North America, Mexico and Canada.  The San Francisco Chronicle is not only the first official wine competition...

A 39-year-old man was arrested in relation to a shooting death in Hollister the afternoon of Feb. 9, according to police.  At about 2:20pm, Hollister Police officers responded to a report of a fight that resulted in gunshots fired at the Hillcrest Car Wash, on...