Editorials

San Benito High School District's goal to reduce students' frequency of "F" scores comes with good intentions – and has potential to improve some individuals' academic achievement – but officials should heed the response from teachers concerned that the means to an end may lead to grade inflation and an artificial appearance of overall improvement.

THUMBS UP: The Aromas-San Juan School District hired archaeological consultants to examine a six-acre property after the district had halted construction of new sports fields next to San Juan School due to concerns about potential artifacts buried on the site. Salinas-based Archaeological Consulting concluded there were no artifacts damaged by the project, and the district has since moved ahead.

San Juan Bautista voters face two crucial decisions on the Nov. 6 ballot – both of which should garner victories if citizens hope to keep this troubled city afloat in the long term.

Look no further than the front page of today's Free Lance for a reason why Hollister's growing gang violence problem must be addressed at its core.

San Juan Oaks' plan to expand its housing and resort project through the transfer of development credits program gives the county a chance to add a valuable destination point while showing potential builders the worthiness of a new land preservation tool.

The Measure T ballot initiative to increase Hollister's sales tax by 1 percent is about more than numbers. It's about a community choosing between progression and digression, about demanding a better quality of life, about providing an acceptable level of public safety.

San Juan Bautista's annual budget is $908,500. City leaders managed to lose more than four times that amount in San Juan's failed, once-firm bid for a $3.8 million federal grant to go toward a required $10 million water project.

The following people, organizations and events deserve either a

There's something both positive and negative to take from Tuesday's Free Lance story on Emmaus House reaching full capacity, and it indicates we as a community must look ahead and plan for expanding our offering of such transitional housing.

The unfortunate attack of Swank Farms' goats by two dogs Tuesday not only brings to light the importance of owners keeping tabs on their pets, but it also brings a sense of relief as, in hindsight, these animal deaths could have turned into a much more catastrophic event.