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Hollister council members unanimously approved a resolution to hire six full-time firefighters Monday following the loss of a federal grant that previously funded a dozen positions.

Hollister council members Monday night will consider hiring six full-time firefighters, expanding homeless services for the Winter Shelter Program, and temporary street closures for the 26th annual Lights On Celebration.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Between the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 and the birth of the National Park Service 44 years later, who managed our parks? Who protected archeological sites from vandals? Who kept out the miners, the loggers and the hunters?One of the most interesting and unlikely stories of early park management happened right here in our backyard.African American regiments fought with distinction as a part of the Union Army during the Civil War, but it wasn't until 1866 that Congress created the first all-black regiment in the U.S. Army. While serving in the Great Plains during the Indian Wars, Native Americans called them Buffalo Soldiers because their hair reminded the Indians of the curly clump of hair between the Bison's horns. The name stuck.After the Spanish-American War, the Ninth Cavalry Regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers wintered at the Presidio in San Francisco. Their summer orders: ride across the Central Valley to Yosemite National Park. For the next several years, these men acted as forerunners of today's park rangers, patrolling and protecting Yosemite from those who would harm it.“National Parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” Few would argue with Wallace Stegner’s famous quote. These lands are not the fenced-off private property of some monarch or oligarch. They are open to all of us for the cost of a day-use fee. But many don’t come.Shelton Johnson is an African American man who has traveled a remarkable path from the streets of Detroit to his job as a park ranger in Yosemite National Park. According to a 2009 survey conducted by the Park Service, only one percent of the visitors to Yosemite that year were black, a fact that saddens Shelton, but doesn’t surprise him. He is quick to point out that the legends of the Old West and our wilderness have not included people who look like him.When Shelton learned the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, he was thrilled. That bit of hidden history turned America’s wilderness heritage into his heritage as well. And it gives all African Americans ownership of our frontier story. Shelton tells the Buffalo Soldier story hoping to awaken disenfranchised kids and lure them to national parks where nature can do her work. He knows that national parks are more than a lovely view. Time spent in wilderness and nature builds physical and psychological health in so many ways.Wallace Stegner was right. Our national parks are a great gift to us all. The centennial of the National Park Service is an opportunity to remember and be thankful that those who came before us had the wisdom to set aside portions of our grand landscape. National Parks preserve a legacy that belongs to all of us.

The Haybalers keep on running over opponents.

County staff officials have addressed the San Benito County Free Library’s issue that involved the old website redirecting visitors to a site showing pornography.

Rosés are the perfect hot-weather sippers and a nice alternative to chardonnay. They range from sweet-tart to bone dry, with the acidity of a white wine and the fruit flavors of a red—it’s a happy medium between the two.Looking like summer in a glass, rosé wines come in gorgeous hues such as salmon, coral and hot pink. Grapes are lightly crushed and left to soak in their red skins for a limited number of hours—depending on how dark the winemaker wants the color of the finished wine to be. Rosé wine can be made from any grape varietal.Guglielmo Winery chooses grignolino, a red Italian grape, to make their dry rosé. The 2015 Grignolino Rosé ($18) has cranberry flavors and a crisp, green apple finish.This rosé will stand up to the big flavors of a pasta marinara dinner.Pietra Santa makes their 2012 Rosato ($15) from cabernet grapes. It’s a crisp, dry rosé fermented in stainless steel with fresh flavors of pomegranate and wild strawberries. I would pair this wine with a blackened salmon salad or roast chicken.Made from sangiovese grapes, Vino Roseo di Sangiovese 2015 ($25) from Solis Winery is a lightly sweet rosé with well-balanced acidity. It’s a brilliant pink with flavors of strawberry and mango—ideal with spicy cuisine such as Thai or Mexican food.These wines pair well with most summer fare such as chicken salad or a charcuterie board filled with salami, cheeses and olives.

Congressman Sam Farr will conduct his final swearing in for new American citizens Tuesday, and he'll do so at the place he helped to make a national park.

On every third Wednesday of each month, Ridgemark Golf Club and Resort hosts a popular Bingo event in its Diablo Dining Room. From newbies to people who have been attending this event for several years, the attraction is the same for everyone: camaraderie, good food and, of course, a chance to win money.

Joseph Loredo decided to do cross country to stay in shape for wrestling. Angel Cortes only started running on the advice of his dad. A year ago, Elliot Ruiz didn’t think he would be one of the top runners on the varsity team. Cortes, Loredo and Ruiz’s paths have converged at tradition-rich San Benito, which usually fields one of the top programs in the Central Coast Section.

Sisters Corissa and Railyn King have plenty of fond memories together sharing experiences in ice hockey, rodeo and agriculture. As of last year, field hockey was added to that list. San Benito High debuted its field hockey program in 2015, and participation has been high in both years.