Local News

Gavilan College officials were joined by local and regional representatives, as well as members of the South Valley community, for a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 10 for the college’s new library in Gilroy. The new library and student resource center is expected to be completed by...

The elected district attorney is the county’s top prosecutor of criminal cases in San Benito County. The DA leads an office of 17 employees, including five deputy prosecutors and three investigators.  The office and its staff prosecute hundreds of felony and misdemeanor cases each year,...

San Benito County’s annual Earth Day celebration will take place 11am-2pm April 25 at the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. The free, family friendly event aims to introduce the community to local environmental programs and resources while offering fun, interactive activities for people...

Police shot a wild mountain lion that charged toward officers who were trying to contain the animal in a residential area early Friday morning, according to authorities. The animal is being treated for at least one gunshot wound to its abdomen. About 4:42am Aug. 26,...

Selecting students for the Hollister Free Lance’s senior spotlights for Anzar High School’s Class of 2020 was no enviable task. That’s why we make the principal and school staff sort it out. These students have navigated the labyrinth of high school hurdles, and we...

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...

With the month of May beginning this week, with its warmer weather, lower humidity and drying vegetation, Cal Fire is urging Bay Area homeowners to do all they can to protect against fire. “Fires are mostly caused by the human factor,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief...

With Covid-19 numbers declining statewide, California’s public health officials continue to phase out now underutilized Covid-19 testing and treatment sites. That includes the Hollister OptumServe testing site, which is slated to close as of Feb. 23, according to San Benito County staff.  The local site...

With just less than 1,100 ballots left to count, San Benito County’s Measure N appears headed for failure by the same proportion reported in early results after Nov. 3.

The San Benito County Office of Emergency Services has been verbally notified by federal authorities that the county is eligible for public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency due to recent winter storm damages.  The amount of FEMA funding available to the local office...