Local News

San Benito Street was shut down for more than two weeks as it went through some major beautification upgrades to help revitalize downtown Hollister. Yet, there was some uncertainty whether or not a new parklet project would work out for local business owners.   Carlos Hernandez,...

Nail salons can reopen indoors in San Benito County if they adhere to revised Covid-19 criteria issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom Sept. 22.

New Gavilan College women’s basketball coach Indira Kaljo knows exactly the situation she’s getting into.  The Rams haven’t fielded a team in three years, and recruiting to Gavilan is notoriously difficult for a variety of reasons.   A challenge for Kaljo? Yes. Daunting? Absolutely not. Not for...

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...

With one swing of the bat, Brittnee Rossi let out weeks of frustration with an emphatic stomp of home plate.  Rossi, a 2017 San Benito High graduate and University of Hawaii senior center fielder, homered against Cal in a March 12 tournament game and immediately...

Rick Perez says he had no real special interests for himself going into this year’s race for the Hollister Council District 1 seat except for one. “My interests are for the people,” he said after seeing initial results of the election posted Tuesday night. “My...

More than 800 students graduated from Hollister High School’s Class of 2025 at the local campus June 6, and are now prepared to take their next steps in the world.  This year’s graduates have a variety of plans—from community college or university, to careers or...

They might be late, but candidates for the Nov. 2 Hollister City Council District 3 election have submitted their campaign financial disclosure forms to the city clerk’s office. Only one of the five candidates—Dolores Morales—has been actively fundraising, according to filings which are required by...

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory yesterday, urging residents to drink plenty of fluids and try to stay as cool as possible. One way to stay cool for a group of kids was to visit Valley View Park in Hollister, which features a...

Hollister resident Chris Mora shot several photos of the July 12 structure fire in the city’s downtown and shared them with the Free Lance. Firefighters from Hollister Fire Department and numerous surrounding agencies responded to the fire on the 400 block of San Benito Street...