Local News

About a dozen people gathered in the courtyard of The Garden Shoppe July 27 to celebrate the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who died July 13, 1954 at the age of 47. To honor Kahlo, wannabe artists painted clay pots in her image or...

Kate Wilbur and Sommer Salinas of the Hollister Recreation Division were busy putting up Christmas decorations at the Veterans’ Memorial Building on Dec. 4, getting it ready for a special visit by Jolly Old St. Nicholas.  Santa Claus is scheduled to go to the veterans’...

California Department of Public Health Officials are keeping a close eye on San Benito County as cases of Covid-19 continue to rise in the area. County Interim Health Officer Dr. David Ghilarducci issued a press release July 7 saying that the county was placed on...

The City of Hollister is working on an inclusionary housing ordinance that could require future residential developers to make up to 20% of their projects affordable under state guidelines.  A draft ordinance, produced under the council’s previous direction, was presented at the May 1 council...

After months of fraught negotiations, San Benito County and the City of San Juan Bautista have finally come to an agreement on fire and emergency medical services with the City of Hollister.  The board of supervisors approved the county’s side of the contract for fire...

California Assemblymember Robert Rivas is leading an effort to provide more healthcare services, support and information to the state’s farmworkers—a sector that has suffered more than others from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Federal authorities have approved a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for certain immunocompromised individuals. As a result, San Benito County Public Health Services is recommending that local medical providers use updated guidance from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a second Covid-19 booster vaccine dose Tuesday for some immunocompromised people as well as all adults over the age of 50.  A second booster dose of either mRNA vaccine will be available for eligible people at least four...

Wildfires and climate change are locked in a vicious circle: Fires worsen climate change, and climate change worsens fires. Scientists, including those at the World Resources Institute, have been increasingly sounding the alarm about this feedback loop, warning that fires don’t burn in isolation—they produce...

Hundreds of athletes and adventure racing hobbyists traveled to Paicines Ranch in San Benito County Aug. 26-27 from throughout the West Coast and beyond—and some from outside the U.S.—for the San Jose Spartan Race.  Competitors ran, walked and crawled along numerous courses on the ranch’s...