Opinion

Welcome to the new format of the Gilroy Dispatch community newspaper. We have changed to a tab size to make it more reader friendly and have expanded our local news coverage. We will do more in the future. The new print edition sports a fresh...

It’s the fifth month, and I’m still finding it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that this is my final year with you. I see that I’ve been confessing a lot to you in 2025, so let’s keep that pattern going: for...

People globally celebrate Earth Day on April 22, recognizing the urgent need to help our planet.  What began in 1970 as a grassroots environmental movement in the United States has since grown into the largest secular observance in the world, involving more than a...

May is Preservation Month, a nationwide celebration led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It’s a time to honor the charming neighborhoods surrounding it, beloved landmarks like the Old City Hall, the Gilroy Museum and the Miller Red Barn in Christmas Hill Park.  Each...

Look what the AI can do…  There’s a curl of fog that crawls across the hill behind my house, misting in the dew and saturating the live oak trees across the hilltop as they drink thirsty from the sky. The marine layer from the Monterey...

As Memorial Day approaches, our community—like many across the nation—prepares for parades, backyard cookouts, and the unofficial start of summer. But at the heart of this holiday lies something far deeper and more solemn: the remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in...

Open letter to Hon. Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation: Re: USDOT F.R.A.'s Notice of Proposed Determination 6-4-2025 In my opinion, the reason for the failure of the CAHSRA’s high speed rail proposal is its reliance on the public sector model of transport funding as seen...

The annual Poppy Jasper International Film Festival wrapped up its weeklong celebration of film Wednesday with a tour of Hollister wineries, a final film screening and the closing ceremony and audience awards at the Granada Theater in Hollister. PJIFF executive director Mattie Scariot said this...

Lately, it can feel like the world is weighed down with stress—global conflicts, economic uncertainty and the fast pace of everyday life. It’s easy to get caught up in the heaviness of it all. But right here in our own community, there are still...

The fentanyl crisis is ravaging communities around the country, touching lives across every socioeconomic, racial and geographic line. Yet too often, our conversations about fentanyl overdoses are clouded by stigma, misinformation and judgment.  It’s time to change that. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times...