News

After receiving comments from residents during a public hearing, San Benito County supervisors on Tuesday delayed the approval of a cannabis business ordinance. The item, which deals with cannabis cultivation for medical use only, will be continued to the board’s August 22 meeting. On...

In between the mighty waves of the Central Coast and the majestic heights of Yosemite, is Casa de Fruta in the Pacheco Valley, a roadside oasis along Highway 152 that has been offering commuters and holidaymakers a chance to rest, fill-up and make merry...

County supervisors Tuesday awarded a $20 million jail expansion construction contract to Montana-based Sletten Construction. In May, San Benito County gave close to $1 million to construction management firm Vanir Construction. According to Vanir’s proposal, the project is expected to begin construction in late August....

The new West Hills Water Treatment Plant, off Union Road by the San Justo Reservoir will begin operation mid-August, ahead of its anticipated opening at the end of the year. The $30 million plant will improve drinking water to approximately 4,000 households in the city’s...

The City of Hollister’s new Treasurer Geri Johnson is no stranger to the machinations of government. She worked for the city for nearly 30 years and now she’s back to sign city checks. “When I first started I wasn’t sure when the city would ever...

San Benito County Supervisors received a disconcerting update about the Panoche Valley Solar Farm on Tuesday. “They raped and pillaged us again,” Supervisor Jerry Muenzer said about the 26,000-acre solar  project in San Benito County that promised to generate 399 megawatts of electricity for...

Hollister Police arrested four juvenile males Friday after responding to a report of a burglary in progress at Cerra Vista Elementary School. On July 14, officers arrested four juveniles, two 17-year olds, one 15-year old and one 12-year old, and booked them into the San...

Before Hollister Hills became the first State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) in California in 1975, it was operated privately as a motorcycle park. “The history with Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) goes all the way back to the 1950s, before the state even purchased it,” says...

Long before Martin’s Beach was a battleground pitting a landowner’s purported property rights against the peoples’ right to coastal access, it was simply a destination for surfers and beachgoers. I knew of Martin’s Beach before it became a regular news item, but I had never...

Beer and wine lovers now have a place to imbibe together, the 18th Barrel in historic San Juan Bautista. The combination craft beer and wine tasting room removes the stress of deciding between the glory of the vine or the pint and let’s patrons have...