HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY
A New SV Media publication
Friday, November 3, 2017
sanbenito.com • Vol. 144, No. 44 • $1
Memories linger at San Benito High’s field of dreams
LOCAL SCENE Holte Holiday Dinners
Art grants
The San Benito Arts Council is holding a grant workshop and artist networking event on Nov. 7 at ArtSpace, 240 Fifth St. in Hollister. Artists can learn how to apply for a grant, which can be used for a variety of pursuits including to create new work, exhibit and arts education programs.
PLAYERS AND COACHES SAY GOODBYE TO ANDY HARDIN STADIUM Emanuel Lee Sports Editor
GOOD CAUSE The dance group, Calpulli Izkalli, is one of many acts that came out Saturday in San Juan Bautista to raise money for disaster relief in Mexico and Puerto Rico. The fundraiser took in nearly $6,000.
Locals aid disaster relief SAN JUAN BAUTISTA EVENT RAISES FUNDS FOR MEXICO AND PUERTO RICO Nicholas Preciado Reporter
Locals raised nearly $6,000 for disaster relief in Mexico and Puerto Rico last weekend at a San Juan Bautista fundraiser organized by El Teatro Campesino
of cars passing through the downtown intersection did not justify signals. While motorists may have to adjust to a new way of driving through San Benito Street, the four-way stop is not expected to have any adverse effect on the intersection, according to the report.
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
NOVEMBER 3, 2017
OU T & AB OU T OF NDAR CA LE EN TS EV
A section of the Hollister Free Lance
HOLLISTER CA. PERMIT #48
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San Benito Street and Fifth Streets once had functioning three-color signals, but was converted to a four-way stop with flashing red lights when the city resealed and restriped the downtown area last year. A recent traffic operations analysis concluded that the number
Cake, anyone?
LOOK OUT A new stop sign is installed at San Benito and Fifth Streets in downtown Hollister after reports of motorists failing to stop at the intersection.
of wood-fired oven used to make his pizzas. In starting the business, he is also bringing a taste of his family’s home country to his family’s hometown in Hollister. The Felice family is from the Calabria part of Italy and has deep roots in San Benito County as well. With the opening of Forno, meanwhile, Hollister will once again
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➝ San Benito High Field, 4
TURN TO PIZZA • A8
San Juan resident:
Project planned for Y Road
KATIE HELLAND •REPORTER khelland@freelancenews.com
A $16 million bridge stretching 900 feet across the San Benito River is planned to connect Y Road and San Juan Bautista. But in this rural area, the number of people it will serve is small. “It's like our own bridge to nowhere,”
HOLLISTER
Motorists are ignoring stop signs at a central intersection in downtown Hollister, and frustrated city officials have added additional signs warning of the four-way stop. Temporary stop signs at the intersection of San Benito and Fifth Streets buttressed by sandbags were placed in the middle of the street last week after officials realized the stop signs at the side of the road were not doing the trick. “The stop signs on the side of the road were visible, but without the flashing red as a reminder, some people were forgetting to stop
The San Benito County chapter of the national nonprofit organization Birthday Cakes 4 Free started last spring and group members have been bringing cakes, cupcakes and muffins to low-income seniors and children ever since then. Since the group started in June, its members have delivered about five cakes a monthTaratoHernandez the Emmaus House, Chamberlain's Children Center and the assisted living facility Whispering Pines Inn. Now they're looking to expand to individual homes in the county. A2
PAID
killed hundreds of people. That earthquake took place on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake that killed around 10,000 people. On Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. The Category 4 storm’s winds reached 155 miles per hour and killed 51 people. A majority of the island’s residents—all American citizens—this week were still without power and nearly half were without
Solar revisions
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE
Stand and Deliver autographed by actor Edward James Olmos. “I’m so proud of this community,” Montoya said. “All the volunteers, the bands, everyone was there for us no questions asked. It was incredible.” An 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico on Sept.7 and killed at least 90 people. It was the country’s largest earthquake in a century. Two weeks later a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mexico City and
The company vying to build a 247-megawatt solar farm in Panoche submitted a draft supplemental environmental impact report addressing plans to examine impacts under a revised, reduced proposal. PV2 Energy filed the supplemental draft EIR on Dec. 23. The prior company overseeing the project, Solargen Energy, had an initial EIR approved by the county board in late 2010. A5
Reporter
SPORTS
Nicholas Preciado
even with the markings on the road,” said David Rubcic, the city’s engineer. “The stop signs in the middle of the road are only temporary until driving patterns are normalized, which means the driving public understands that they need to stop at this intersection.” The signs are estimated to be in place for 60 days and there’s no plan to install permanent signage in the middle of the road. “As the light changes to shorter days, it is important that drivers pay attention to the roadway and watch for pedestrians,” Rubcic said. “It is important that pedestrians make sure cars stop prior to crossing the street in crosswalks and at corners. Don’t forget that there may be two lanes in each direction as they cross the street, so be sure both lanes know you are in the crosswalk.” The intersection of
Soph surge
SIGNS ADDED TO REMIND DRIVERS OF STOP SIGNS DOWNTOWN
A year ago, Brad Sparrer was the No. 5 player in the lineup on San Benito High’s golf team. But entering the 2015 season—practice starts on Feb. 1—the 5-foot-8, 140pound sophomore will likely be the Haybalers’ No. 1 player. Sparrer’s meteoric rise came the good old-fashioned way: hard work. B1
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performer, Noé Montoya. “There’s not enough words to thank people for what happened Saturday,” he said. The landmark theater group’s playhouse on Fourth Street hosted an enthusiastic crowd and an assortment of dancers, food vendors, crafters and musicians. A silent auction featured a framed print by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, a one-night stay at the Posada de San Juan and a script of the 1980s film
Drivers ignore 4-way stops
Daylight Savings ends this Sunday
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Friday night’s contest against North Salinas— a 60-30 San Benito High win—was the last regular-season football game at Andy Hardin Stadium—and possibly ever— if the Haybalers don’t end up hosting a playoff game this season. The stadium will still host soccer events this winter, along with track and field events in the spring before construction of the new state-of-the-art athletic facility. “You have essentially three main parts: the aquatic center, the football stadium which has a track with synthetic turf, and then the softball stadium,” San Benito Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum said. “It may be a bit different on some aspects, but the target goal for the football stadium is to be able to host home football games for the Fall of 2019.” Current San Benito High football coach Bryan Smith, who was a longtime assistant before taking over the head coaching duties before the 2016 season, has a long history with Andy Hardin Stadium. The 1992 San Benito High graduate first stepped onto the field at the age of 8 to play Pop Warner Football. “I have a lot of great memories here playing Pop Warner in 1985, and here we are in 2017,” Smith said. The beloved stadium is named after Andy Hardin, a former high school football coach and teacher from 1923 to 1958. It will be the future site of the school’s aquatic center, featuring one 50-meter pool and one 25-yard pool. As for the concession stand, the school is trying to repurpose it. “The best way to describe it is we’ll repurpose it so we can use it as storage or some other facility within the stadium,” Tennenbaum said. Football-wise, Smith and assistant coach Rob
Robert Eliason
Organizers are busy making preparations for Holte Holiday Dinners on Thanksgiving and Christmas in Hollister. The free meals have been filling bellies and spreading festive cheer for 29 years. Generations of Hollister residents have volunteered over the years, said event organizer Ruben Lopez. Whether they wake up in the wee hours to smoke the turkeys at 5am or help serve and deliver meals to people who cannot make it to the dining hall, volunteers are the heart and soul of the charitable repast. Lopez said some volunteers started helping out when they were in elementary school and have continued all the way to college. “There are too many students to name them all but they are all very faithful in showing up,” he said. Students can also earn school credit for their community service by volunteering. While the dinners could not go on without the support of the San Benito County community, including donations from the Hollister Rotary Club, Hollister Women’s Club and San Juan Windmill Market, Lopez acknowledges the last couple years have been tough and he is making an appeal to locals ahead of the holiday rush to ensure the event runs smoothly. Tax deductible donations can be sent to Holte Holiday Dinners, c/o Community Foundation for San Benito, 829 San Benito St., Suite 200, Hollister 95023. For information about the dinners or to volunteer call 831-623-4117. Preparation starts at 5pm the night before Thanksgiving and Christmas Day at the Sacred Heart School cafeteria.
THE SECRETS of Katherine Filice
SPOKING MY MIND P10 | BELLA VIVA P16 | REALTOR HAYLEY DOWSING-CONNOLLY P18
Inside this issue: Local artist prepares for her London debut
said Jim ranch on walk from The ri complet the Fede Toll Cred with con of 2017. “The k