Local News

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...

In areas of the country where travel ball teams are ubiquitous, Little League softball struggles with numbers and participation.  Girls start off in T-ball and stay with their local rec/comp team before hooking up with a stronger travel ball squad by the time they’re 10...

When the Christopher High girls soccer team won the program’s first-ever Central Coast Section championship last year, it overwhelmed the field, outscoring three opponents by a combined margin of 15-0. The question was not if the Cougars were going to win, but by how much....

The Christopher High offense struggled in its Blossom Valley Athletic League Mount Hamilton Division game against Santa Teresa High on Oct. 21.  But when it counted the most, the Cougars’ offense delivered. Third-string quarterback Will Rizqallah came up clutch on Christopher’s final two possessions, and...

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds in the United States, a crucial step in the nation’s steady recovery from the pandemic and a boon to millions of American families eager for a...

The seven Christopher High student-athletes who are set to play a sport at the four-year level expressed a common theme during a May 18 letter of intent signing ceremony on the school’s football field. Whether it was family, a friend, a coach—or all three—they...

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...

Santa Cruz and Monterey counties were included in a list of areas statewide where people have been severely sickened by Amanita phalloides—commonly known as the death cap mushroom. A group of doctors from across California warned Jan. 14 that foraging for wild mushrooms can be...

Despite the threat of rain, the 41st annual Wildflower Run on March 24 in Morgan Hill was once again a sold out event, with about 1,200 participants in six races.  New to this year’s Wildflower Run—sponsored annually by the Morgan Hill chapter of the AAUW—was...

Squeals of laughter and the scent of hay filled the air as children raced through the corn maze, picked out pumpkins nearly as big as they were, and enjoyed rides at the annual fall festival at Swank Farms—a beloved South Valley tradition marking the...