Agriculture

On Jan. 19, 21 Gilroy FFA members traveled to Hollister High School to compete against five other schools at the annual sectional Super Saturday LDE competition.  Through Leadership Development Events, participating FFA members in grades nine to 12 are challenged to develop critical thinking skills...

Santa Clara County planning officials have released the draft Environmental Impact Report for the 403-acre Sargent Ranch quarry project that is proposed south of Gilroy. The public comment period on the EIR began July 25 and will continue until Sept. 26, according to county staff. Representatives...

Local agencies finally have enough money to complete the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project, about 70 years after the massive infrastructure project was initially planned.  Valley Water celebrated the milestone Sept. 13 at the construction site in south Morgan Hill for the final phase...

Projected costs of the massive Anderson Dam reconstruction project in Morgan Hill have risen to approximately $2.3 billion, according to a report prepared by engineers for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Two years ago, the cost of the dam project—required for earthquake protection and...

The community room of the Gilroy Library transformed into a walk-through installation on Nov. 5, depicting the life of civil rights champion and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union, Dolores Huerta, who coined the phrase, “Sí se puede” (Yes, we can). Huerta briefly taught...

New plans submitted to San Benito County show more details for the commercial development proposed near Highway 101 and Betabel Road—including an expanded variety of uses for the farm stand building that is currently under construction. The McDowell Charity Trust—the owner and developer of the...

San Benito County Supervisors at a recent meeting approved a conditional use permit for the Betabel commercial project, after hearing two appeals against the proposal due to its likely impacts on the environment and tribal lands. The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Nov. 8 to...

Since its founding in west Morgan Hill about six years ago, Fairytale Farm has rescued more than 250 mini-horses, ponies and donkeys that were living in unhealthy, neglectful conditions—many of whom were on their way to certain death, according to the nonprofit’s founder, Alexandra...

A non-native Aedes aegypti mosquito—an aggressive species that can spread certain diseases—has been discovered in a residential area of Gilroy, according to the Santa Clara County Vector Control District. A mosquito of the same species was also found recently in a neighborhood of east...

The sun was low in the winter sky, making it difficult to get a clear shot of the front of the ancient ivy-covered rockwall face of the oldest winery in Santa Clara Valley. I could barely make out the words “E. Guglielmo & Son,...