Guest View

Open letter to San Benito County residents, Nov. 8:  I am writing to share my gratitude for your engagement in our recent election and to provide a brief update on how the day unfolded. Thanks to your participation, the election was a resounding success, with...

“If we can find pretty much everything online, why do we still need libraries?”  This is a question that has crossed the minds of many people. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, about 52% of Americans say people don’t need public libraries as...

Every teacher in California wants their students to be able to read. But too often, we’re not given the tools to provide effective reading instruction.  While serving as an English language arts/English language development teacher on Special Assignment for Gilroy Unified School District, our Las...

By Kollin Kosmicki San Benito County experienced two significant milestones this past week with regard to Covid-19.  For one, we moved from the most restrictive “Purple” tier to the less restrictive “Red” tier for state guidance. This allows us to permit such activities as dining, fitness...

The agricultural stretch of California’s Central Coast along the Salinas Valley is often called the “Salad Bowl of the World,” and for good reason. It supplies more than 60% of the nation’s lettuce and substantial portions of strawberries, spinach and broccoli.  But beyond the fertile...

As the name suggests, “small” business means the owner is, most likely, working. So, to see around 18 Hollister downtown business owners together at the Oct. 17 meeting was an unusual treat. Thanks to the Hollister City Manager, David Mirrione, and Development Services Director,...

We need to work harder as a community to protect one another by understanding that this virus is serious and precautions are still needed.

Starting March 13, 2020, the educational world that we knew in the Hollister School District changed forever. Our Superintendent, Diego Ochoa, and our staff at both the district and site levels worked all through the weekend to get food packets and learning materials put...

May is Water Awareness Month. It’s also the start of our irrigation season when water use starts to go up dramatically. Over 60% of residential water use is for landscape purposes in the summer.   This is especially important since we are in the grips of...

As someone who was born and raised in Hollister, whose mom was a nurse at the original hospital when it was downtown, I feel a special connection to this community—like so many of you. I was born at Hazel Hawkins, and today, as interim...