Agriculture

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority last week announced the winners of the “Picturing Coyote Valley” photo contest, in which the public was invited to submit their best photos of wildlife, landscapes and people in open space areas just north of Morgan Hill.  The...

What do you do when you’ve owned and operated one of Morgan Hill’s oldest and best known restaurants—a place I’ve called “Morgan Hill’s living room”—for years? You start a winery in San Martin, of course.  But it’s not just a winery; it’s a potential destination...

With seemingly constant rain storms pummeling the South Bay so far this winter, a federal drought monitoring program recently downgraded most of Santa Clara County from “Severe” to “Moderate” drought. But local water supply authorities warn that residents and property owners should continue to...

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...

Fundraiser supports therapeutic riding One Step Closer’s 2024 fundraiser gala will take place 5-9pm June 23 at Coyote Ranch Event Center, featuring line dancing instruction, live auction, BBQ dinner, raffle, open bar and more. Line dancing lessons will be taught by Janet Goddard, to live music...

It’s a day that seemed like it might not ever happen: Robert Rivas was sworn in Friday morning as speaker of the California Assembly. The ascension of the Hollister Democrat—who represents the 29th Assembly District—to lead the lower chamber of the Legislature brings to a...

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has voted to limit development across some 7,500 acres in unincorporated Coyote Valley in an effort to preserve agricultural land for local farmers. The plan, which the board approved unanimously Dec. 14, will limit the number of single-family...

With nearly 105 million pounds of garlic consisting of more than one billion bulbs, Christopher Ranch’s 2022 season is the strongest it has been in recent years. Ken Christopher, executive vice president of the Gilroy-based company, said ideal weather conditions, such as a cool winter...

The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors voted unanimously April 11 to rescind a “water shortage emergency” that was declared in 2021 during a historic statewide drought.  But Valley Water officials still want local residents, businesses and other customers to conserve water. The...

UC Santa Cruz recently acquired and established the Strathearn Ranch Natural Reserve, a 2,400-acre oak-studded grassland property in San Benito County that will be used for field research and outdoor education for the university’s students, staff and researchers.  The UC Board of Regents approved the...