Opinion

As Memorial Day approaches, our community—like many across the nation—prepares for parades, backyard cookouts, and the unofficial start of summer. But at the heart of this holiday lies something far deeper and more solemn: the remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in...

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time not just for reflection but for action.  For decades, mental health has existed in the shadow of physical health, often stigmatized, misunderstood or simply ignored. But the truth is undeniable: mental health is an important aspect of...

Re: Hospital proceeds with negotiations, Free Lance, April 18, 2025 Instead of the Easter Bunny, we get the Big Bad Wolf and he is trying to blow the house down.  The Easter basket from the San Benito County Health Care District over-flowed with attractive colors,...

Re: Insight wants to purchase Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Trying to understand Insight is like taking a seat on a ferris wheel, where going round and round and up and down is scary. Some may find the experience thrilling, but eventually the rider gets nowhere.   Insight...

The annual Poppy Jasper International Film Festival wrapped up its weeklong celebration of film Wednesday with a tour of Hollister wineries, a final film screening and the closing ceremony and audience awards at the Granada Theater in Hollister. PJIFF executive director Mattie Scariot said this...

People globally celebrate Earth Day on April 22, recognizing the urgent need to help our planet.  What began in 1970 as a grassroots environmental movement in the United States has since grown into the largest secular observance in the world, involving more than a...

Re: International film fest returns to SBC, Free Lance, April 4, 2025 If I could I would make a film about our hospital from the last century to this one for the Poppy Jasper Film Festival. The film might begin with a horse-drawn cart ramble...

Welcome to the new format of the Hollister Free Lance community newspaper. We have changed to a tab size to make it more reader friendly and have expanded our local news coverage. We will do more in the future. The new print edition sports a...

Residents of San Benito County are now enjoying something reminiscent of older classic television shows, harkening back to simpler times.  Remember the old TV show “Marcus Welby, MD”? The doctor, with a kind bedside manner, made house calls and was on a first-name basis with...

Numbers don’t lie with the remarkably unsustainable fiscal path for fire services in San Benito County.  With constant misinformation, I must set the record straight on skyrocketing costs and a broken system needing immediate reform.  If we ignore these warning signs, we will continue tumbling down...