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Local VTA bus lines will operate on a limited schedule Thursday, July 4, in observance of the Independence day holiday. The bus routes will operate on a “Sunday/holiday” schedule rather than a typical weekday schedule, according to a press release from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Caltrain will also run on a Sunday/holiday schedule, meaning no service to or from South County for the holiday, according to the press release. Regular weekday service will resume Friday, July 5. Automated VTA bus and light rail schedule information can be obtained by calling (408) 321-2300, or by visiting www.vta.org and clicking on the Google Trip Planner to plan a customized trip.

The number of reported hate crimes in California decreased slightly from 2022 to 2023, but those against Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQ+ people rose over the same period, according to the annual hate crime report from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.  The number of hate crimes...

When a South County fire department put out a call for donations for victims of the recent North Bay fires, firefighters were welcomed with an outpouring from area residents.

Changes in the last decade are bringing out the best in South

GILROY— Sleuths at the Santa Clara County Agricultural Commissioner’s office are investigating the mysterious deaths of at least 1,000 European brown snails in a Gilroy business park.

Editor's note: The original print version of this story did not include Roland Velasco, a former council member who became a qualified candidate by the Aug. 13 deadline. A correction ran in the Aug. 22 edition.

Cipriano Echezarreta, a graduate of the Gavilan College Class of 2024 who will transfer to UC Santa Cruz in the fall, was awarded the prestigious Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Scholarship.  Echezarreta, a resident of San Juan Bautista, is an environmental science major whose career...