Politics

San Juan Bautista council members Tuesday learned that their city code includes prohibitions against growth and delivery of medical marijuana, and they upheld the ordinance while continuing to also ban dispensaries.

U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, who has represented San Benito County the past 23 years in Congress, announced he will not seek reelection next year.

County and Hollister officials approved increased bed space at the seasonal homeless facility to deal with potential weather conditions in an El Niño winter.Hollister council members Monday approved $47,000 in general fund money toward increased bed space. The county approved the remainder of the funding, $150,000 in grant dollars, on Tuesday.Government leaders plan to add space for 40 additional beds on top of the 20 to 30 homeless families served each winter at the Southside Labor Camp, according to a county board agenda report.Last year, the shelter served 28 families from December to March, according to a county report. Overall, a point-in-time survey earlier this year showed there were about 650 homeless people in the county.Look back for more.

The Hollister Police Department has won a string of awards for traffic enforcement.

A strip mall store in Hollister where people played electronic gaming machines and won prizes shuttered its doors this weekend shortly after the Free Lance published a story about it Friday evening.

The latest Hollister motorcycle rally promoter is not expected to return for the 2016 event, the mayor confirmed Friday.

In a corner store across from KFC, a woman leaned over a computer screen and clicked numbers showing on the monitor.

San Benito County prosecutors this week charged Hollister resident Shawn G. Bourdet on suspicion of felony counts alleging he caused injuries to a child in the July 4 fireworks incident on Brigantino Drive.

Hollister City Council members Monday are set to consider forming a seven-member Youth Committee, according to an agenda.

San Benito County and City of Hollister officials are working together on possibly conducting a needs assessment for a new technology/library center here, according to the city council agenda for Monday.