Health

To ensure students get basic nutrition, Gavilan College opened a food pantry with a ceremonial ribbon cutting Feb. 25 on its Hollister campus. The well-stocked room is a collaboration between the college and the Community FoodBank of San Benito. Annette Gutierrez, Gavilan’s director of basic...

The idea of the Morgan Hill Magical Bridge inclusive playground started out nearly eight years ago as the brainchild of local couple Ron and Shirlee Locicero. The new park—which is home to a variety of swings, slides, sensory features, musical installations and an outdoor...

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved amping up services and resources to combat the fentanyl crisis with money from opioid lawsuit settlements and other grants.  San Jose has been dubbed a “fentanyl hub,” and Supervisor Cindy Chavez established the county’s...

Santa Clara County and the union representing nurses at the county’s hospitals and clinics have reached an agreement on a four-year contract, after months of negotiations, failed mediation efforts and a first-ever three-day strike last month. About 88% of the Registered Nurses Professional Association members...

The California Department of Public Health is urging Californians to get immunized against a triple-threat of viruses that are expected to surge in the coming months.  Rates of Covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are expected to spike in the late fall and...

California lawmakers are crafting an end-of-session package of proposed laws that could streamline the building of solar and offshore wind energy projects, according to people familiar with the discussions. Democratic legislators, who have shared drafts with environmental groups, industry, lobbyists and other interested parties, are...

Santa Clara County on Dec. 2 launched its new “CARE Court” process, a 24-month program that offers support for people facing mental health challenges and are at risk of becoming embroiled in the criminal court system.   Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court provides an...

Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation will host a special Free Entrance Day on July 29 “as a token of gratitude to the community for entrusting the department with the stewardship and recreation of over 52,000 acres of beautiful parkland and 28 adventurous and...

Gerald Foisy—largely known to Gilroy community members and garlic aficionados as Mr. Garlic—died on Jan. 7 after a battle with Alzheimer's. He was 83 years old.  For 29 years, Foisy volunteered as Mr. Garlic, the happy, healthy ambassador of the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival who...

Education advocates and community leaders gathered on a cloudy morning outside Saint Louise Regional Hospital to urge voters to support Measure A, a Santa Clara County sales tax ballot option aimed at preserving healthcare services threatened by recent federal funding cuts. The Sept. 30 rally...