News

San Benito County diverted $4.8 million of rate-payer funds from the Landfill-Solid Waste enterprise to the General Fund and implemented a crippling agreement with the landfill operator to increase acceptance of out-of-county waste in order to get their hands on the money. In addition to diverting the funds, which the county denies was illegal, its own internal documents reveal that it failed to take adequate actions to protect the landfill capacity, address the environmental concerns or transportation impacts including road maintenance/litter, and failed to obtain a any revenue increase from out-of-county waste, which was the agreement’s original purpose.

For the first time that anyone at Gavilan can recall, the women’s volleyball team is headed to the state playoffs following a three-set sweep of City College of San Francisco.

I was anxious to see Janu and Jason Goelz’s brand new tasting room, inside The Stomping Ground, an ambitious and exciting venture between the Goelz’ and Tim Slater, owner of Sarah’s Vineyard. A three-year plan for the venue includes several other boutique wineries, a brewery and a distillery—along with upscale eateries. I passed through a courtyard with tables and a water feature as I made my way into the eclectic tasting room.Instead of the usual adjectives to describe each wine, the extensive menu only lists the percentages of the various grapes contained in each wine. Bill Corneth, pouring wines that day, explained, “We don’t try to tell you what you’re going to taste because we don’t want you to feel like you’ve done something wrong if you don’t taste what you think you should.” Bill poured the first wine, a Pixalated Rose, a blend of grenache, mourvedre and pinot noir grapes. It is a dry rose, with a creamy mouthfeel—a pretty aperitif for the holidays.  The 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a juicy bing cherry of a wine with a long, smooth finish. It’s 80 percent cabernet—blended along with four other varietals. Thoughts of pairing this wine with a rib eye steak drizzled with melted blue cheese crossed my mind.I tend to like wines with a little age on them so really enjoyed the 2011 Estate Merlot. This is a rich, full-bodied wine with complex flavors of dark fruits and well-structured tannins, making it an age-worthy wine. Purchasing two bottles before I left, I’ll have one bottle at this year’s holiday and save the other for next year.

San Benito High seniors Brooke Shaffer and Sydney Starke will realize a dream when they perform in the second Varsity Spirit Spectacular at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. from Dec. 1 to 4.

Gavilan may have swept Hartnell, but the Rams needed to fight tooth and nail to advance in the CCCAA Northern California Regional playoffs.

When Progresso Tamale Parlor closes its doors for the final time on Dec. 23, it will mark the end of an era. The restaurant on 230 Third St has been a Hollister institution for 77 years, owned by four generations of the Zuniga family....

The harvest of summer vegetables is over, but that doesn’t mean the garden has to be put to bed. The days are still warm enough to get some hearty, cool season vegetables in the ground. This is the time of year for root vegetables—beets, radishes, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, carrots—all which can be started from seed. Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, kale, swiss chard can also thrive throughout the winter months. In this area, garlic is grown year-round but the best time for home gardeners to plant it is right now for bigger, better bulbs. Water regularly and mulch around all vegetables to protect roots and to keep the soil moist.

A Hollister engineer technician in July sought feedback over his work email from City Manager Bill Avera about a campaign-like sign relating to a special sales tax, according to email records obtained by the Free Lance.

My brother is one of those enviable souls who lives in Napa and pours wine on the weekend for one of the wineries there. So when I visit, he likes to take me around to any one of the 400 or so wineries in the area. I enjoy the great wines and beautiful scenery of Napa, but I believe that our wine region has so much more to offer. Here are my top 10 reasons why our wineries are superior:

A season that started with league and section title aspirations ended in heartbreak for San Benito High Friday night. Seemingly in control of its fate, the host Haybalers instead absorbed a crushing 35-28 loss to Milpitas in a Central Coast Section Open Division I playoff semifinal.