Community

Driscoll’s announced this week that Brie Reiter Smith has been named chief executive officer of the Watsonville-based berry company, succeeding Soren Bjorn. Smith, who has served as vice chair of Driscoll’s board of directors, assumes the position immediately. Bjorn will remain with the company during...

With three decades of proud service to the Hollister School District, Deputy Superintendent Kip Ward announced he will retire in June at the end of the 2026-27 school year, Hollister School District officials said in a statement.  Ward will retire after 34 years as an...

California Coastal Cleanup Day will return Sept. 19, with volunteers expected to gather at hundreds of sites statewide to remove trash from beaches, creeks, rivers and other waterways. The 42nd annual event, organized by the California Coastal Commission, will take place from 9am-noon. The cleanup...

“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...

Courtesy of San Benito High School District: Hollister High School has been named a “Best High School” by U.S. News & World Report for the eighth consecutive year, while making significant gains in both the national and California rankings released last week. Hollister High climbed...

Words are important. Where words reside is important. We read newsprint, books and magazines. We see posters. We see walls. “In God We Trust” on the supervisors’ chamber wall causes thoughtful concern.  Words on a wall may or may not represent what remains hidden in...

Charter Communications customers across Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San Martin and Hollister experienced widespread internet outages Aug. 21 as accidental damage to a fiber optic line caused a drop in Spectrum internet service for homes, businesses and government entities across the South Valley area. Outages began...

Now you see the gift of nature which is soft hills protecting fertile plains of fruit trees and vegetables. Beware magicians among us like a recall group and Silicon Valley Biz PAC who want to change this view of plenty and beauty.  The Recall group...

A project to upgrade existing pavement at multiple locations along Highway 25 in Hollister near San Felipe Road began Aug.16 and will last through late September, according to Caltrans officials. Travelers on northbound and southbound Hwy. 25 will encounter overnight and daytime work. The intermittent...

Winemaker, winegrower and ornithologist, Nat Wong, has made San Benito County home since shortly after experiencing the allure of wine on a trip to France. While drinking Cabernet Franc in a vineyard in Bourgeil, something stirred his soul.  Fascinated by wine, he began apprenticing in...